The Importance Of Knowing How To Listen To The Other

We don’t know how to listen to people. We think we do, but in reality we only listen to what interests us. The rest is unimportant. This causes problems in our relationships, so today we are going to investigate a little more about how significant it is to know how to listen to the other.

I remember when I was at school a nun who was our teacher and gave us Spanish language classes, she read us a book called Momo. I will never forget! Momo was a girl with the virtue of knowing how to listen, and I do not write these lines because I understand that she has that virtue, on the contrary, I don’t think I have it, but as they say around there “recognizing that you must change is the first step”.

Putting into practice knowing how to listen to the other

Today I put into practice that of “listening to people.” I kept the cell phone in my wallet, I totally forgot about the environment I was in, I stopped interrupting that person to tell him about my experience similar to the one he is telling me.

I looked into his eyes, I saw his gestures, I saw the expression on his face while he talked, how his breathing changed according to the feeling he wanted to express to me. Today I realized that knowing how to listen to the other is more than hearing words that remain in the air.

Listening is turning to what the other wants to say to you, letting them express themselves, observing their gestures, nodding, creating a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, etc.

I can say that putting that listening into practice made me feel very good, I felt more intelligent since I could understand all that they wanted to tell me, than what perhaps they could not tell me with their words, because the right word did not reach their head They said it with their eyes and their gestures.

I was able to feel empathy not for a similar experience that I had previously lived, but by putting myself in their shoes by listening to that person and understanding what they are feeling. I understood that not necessarily when someone needs you to listen to them they want to know if what they feel or what they lived through has happened to you, but they want you to understand how they felt.

Listening goes beyond our ears, it reaches our brain, it reaches our soul.

Throughout the day we can talk to many people, most of them hear us, but very few listen to us. How did you feel the last time someone listened to you?

Talk less and listen more

Now I understand why they say that we have 2 ears and 1 mouth, to speak less and listen more, and I can tell you that throughout my life I have used this in reverse. On the other hand, I cannot make judgments for another person, but I assure you that those with whom I spoke felt that they were understood, that they paid attention, well, that they listened.

Knowing how to listen to the other allows our relationships with others to improve. Well, the other person will feel heard and there is nothing more pleasant for someone to show interest in what you are telling them. Now, in the age of technology and mobiles, very few people listen. However, being aware, you can change this.

I don’t know why we prefer conversations through a computer, a mobile or a tablet. The face to face is always more enriching. The variety of communication that is emitted through gestures, looks, changes in intonation and rhythm of speech cannot be appreciated through an electronic device. We are not losing great wealth!

I believe that I will continue to put this “listening to people” into practice. There are many more benefits than losses!

And have you learned how to listen to the other?