Five Quick Tips for Better Listening

Would a "Listenary" be a place or group growing up around the desire to be better listeners? Perhaps a community growing up around the desire to be better listeners?

Here are five tips to better listening. Notice the acrostic of beginning letters. Want to have more fun? Then BE more fun. Be a good listener.

Bracket your own stories and beliefs. You don''t have to abandon them; just don''t let them interrupt your intended attention on the other person.

Enjoy silence. It takes practice for some of us to be come comfortable with the time it takes for some people to think before they speak.

Find yourself a listener. If you don''t have a good listener for yourself, I think you will have so many things swirling and popping up in your mind that you will have difficulty with bracketing.

Use triggers to remind yourself to listen. Pick out a time of day, a situation, a tone of voice that, when you hear or see this, you will remind yourself to stop and listen.

Notice non-verbals. This means more than merely seeing and analyzing non-verbals. This means bringing them into verbal notice. Mention aloud the non-verbals that hurt or puzzle you.

Stop, Look, and Listen. It saves lives!