My granddad used to grab my hands and hold them still when he needed a break from my nonstop chatter.
He would joke with me that I wouldn’t be able to speak if he handcuffed me — and that’s not far from the truth.
Recently I kept a tight grip on my hands during a video shoot to not only stay within the time restrictions but also to slow down my pace.
The more free my hands, the faster I talk and the more animated I become. It’s as if I need to draw the story for you in the air as it rolls out of my mouth.
And I do talk really fast especially when I’m excited about what I’m sharing.
As my co-worker and friend Debbie Campbell and I have traveled across the state this year representing TAB as #tabtrouble, you may have noticed we both enjoy talking so we have to make sure we take turns sharing.
It might send you into sensory overload otherwise (ha!).
And we enjoy the conversations as much to listen to your story and what’s happening in your lives as we do to share what’s happening in our lives.
Active listening takes concentration and intentionality. It requires focus, processing what is being said for understanding and the ability to respond appropriately. And if you are able to actually remember what was said, then you know you succeeded.
To listen for understanding of what is being said and not merely being polite by letting the other person talk may be more rare than we realize.
Try it out this week. You’ll know when you are only hearing the other person rather than truly listening and you’ll start noticing when it happens to you.
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