The Art of Listening
Its a good question. How many of us really listen to the conversations we have everyday? Are we really listening or are we just waiting for the break in the conversation to chime in with our own thoughts. And how much do we listen with more than our ears?
The activity I did in class of responding non-verbally was enlightening actually and I wish we could have done more than a single activity. In that exercise I did two things that I think could vastly improve my listening skills. When it was my turn to respond, since I could not speak I was not really thinking of anything to say. I just listened. I just heard the other person out. I realized it is not something I always do. The second thing I realized when I was speaking. I was paying closer attention to the body movements of the listener to get their reactions.
The traits of the helping relationship that I think are most natural to me would be demonstrating respect for individual self worth, mutual consent, and shows a clear structure. Even in my personality quiz fairness for other people, a large part of respect was one of the top traits. I think that I respect people, even those I disagree with. And in the other leadership positions that I have had, and are in now all those wanted to help and I wanted to help them. In those positions I also mostly had a clear structure. I was the cadet leading the brownies. Or in my new official position, I am a staff member that answers the student questions.
The parts of the helping that are presently harder for my position are a collaborative effort and seeks understanding and involvement. I can ingrate these better into my style though practice. By being part of a team and collaborating no more projects I will gain the experience that I need to become better in these areas. Part of these is also visualizing goals and then sharing that goal so practice in clear communication is a must. I also need to work on listening. That is a truly important part evey any really fanastic team. With understanding and involvement their is an aspect of building confidence. I am new to the position and I also have ideas and goals that I want to help people with but am unsure of how exactly to get there.
