Listen! 6 Keys for Conscious Listening
by Marcia Naomi Berger
Do You Listen to Convince or to Learn?
When you talk you are only repeating what you already know. But when you listen you might learn something new. –J.P. McEvoy
Melissa Orlov, author of The ADHD Effect on Marriage, asks the question, “Are you a convincer or a listener?” As a therapist, I observe that couples who see me often begin with the idea that their spouse’s viewpoint that differs from their own is wrong and that their own is right. Never succeeding, they try to convince their partner to get their partner to agree with them.
When you disagree with someone about something you feel strongly about, do you promptly move into high persuasion gear to try to get the person to see it your way? Doing this creates both emotional distance between the two people, and it also closes off the possibility of learning something new.
By listening carefully to understand the other person’s viewpoint, in marriage and elsewhere, we enhance relationships and can stretch our minds.
How to Practice Active, Conscious Listening
Active, conscious listening involves more than just lending an ear to your partner. It requires complete concentration, giving space to the other person, and not injecting your own thoughts and feelings into the moment. It can take some self-control to hear what your partner wants to say and to postpone stating your own thoughts for a moment. While the technique may strike you as rather formal for a loving relationship, using it as directed is likely to foster emotional closeness and more acceptance and understanding of each other’s point of view.
Choose a Good Time for Conscious Listening
The first thing to do for successful active, conscious listening is to make sure that the conversation about a potentially sensitive topic occurs when both of you are calm and distractions are unlikely to occur. Then follow these six steps:
6 Keys for Conscious Listening
Conscious Listening Key 1. Stop what you are doing.
Take the necessary time out to really listen to your partner.
Conscious Listening Key 2. Look at your partner.
Making eye contact tells your partner that you are ready to listen. Body language and facial expression also indicate an interest in listening. Make sure that the nonverbal signals you send reflect a willingness to listen. Focus on your partner. Try to push everything else from your mind.
Conscious Listening Key 3. Listen to your partner.
Listen without interrupting, arguing, or giving advice. Just listen. Notice if you are having a strong emotional reaction to your partner’s words. If yes, breathe in and out slowly a few times to center yourself. You will have a chance to express yourself later, but for now just listen.
Conscious Listening Key 4. Rephrase or repeat what your partner says.
This step encourages us to be good listeners. It also helps us to understand the other person’s meaning and feelings. Rephrasing also helps the partner to recognize and clarify her or his feelings. Start with “I hear you saying…” Always check with your partner whether your interpretation of what was communicated is accurate. Ask, “Am I correctly understanding what you are saying?” The speaker should clarify his or her meaning if the partner’s interpretation seems inaccurate, after which step 4 should be repeated.
Conscious Listening Key 5. Be empathic.
Seek to understand your spouse’s emotions in the situation she or he is describing. Try to put yourself in your spouse’s position. Save your advice for another time. Some people are afraid that if they are empathic they will have to give in to or agree with their partner. It is important to recognize that what we all want most is to feel understood.
Conscious Listening Key 6. Reverse roles.
After completing the above exercise to the point that your spouse clearly feels understood by you, you may want to express your viewpoint on the topic. If so, reverse roles. Share your own thoughts and feelings while your partner practices active listening.
Benefits of Active, Conscious Listening
Couples who benefit from therapy grow to accept differences as acceptable and even interesting. These spouses have gained the ability to listen to each other respectfully instead of judging their partner for having different values or ideas. For them and for all of us, with understanding comes acceptance and also the joy of continuing to learn more about ourselves and each other.
You may not change his/her mind, but what a joy to learn something new and more about him/her. Vive la difference!
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About the Author
Marcia Naomi Berger, MSW, LCSW, is the author of Marriage Meetings for Lasting Love: 30 Minutes a Week to the Relationship You’ve Always Wanted (New World Library, 2014). She is a psychotherapist who leads workshops for couples and singles and teaches continuing education classes for therapists and counselors.
www.marriagemeetings.com
