Be a Beacon Tip of the Month

Active listening is all about intentionally focusing on who you are listening to. As the listener you want to be able to repeat back what the other person has said in your own words.

Simple steps to becoming a better listener:

Listen to more than the words. Listen with your ears, eyes and other senses:
•    Is the other person anxious, nervous or rushed, for example?
•    What are his/her non-verbal cues?
•    Are there distractions that might prevent a good conversation?

Pay attention: Paying attention helps the person to know that you care for them so much that you put aside everything else and focus only on them.
Ask Questions: Ask open-ended questions.
Use the verbiage: “Yes, and…” Or, you could say, “Can you say more about…?”  Or, you can encourage them to continue talking by pointing out feelings. “You seem frustrated….”  “You seem upset….”
Lose the verbiage:  “Yes, but…”

Restate: In other words, you simply state in your own words what the speaker said.
•    Restate the speaker’s content (who, what, why, when, where and how).
•    Restate the speaker’s feelings.
•    Restate the speaker’s concerns. Your restatement phrase can begin like this: “What I heard you say was….

Life is made up of the most amazing moments. Be there.

Enjoy this Be Present video: https://beaconhealthsystem.wistia.com/projects/5erpeycg9c