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CARE LIFE Listening LIFE & Your Personal Relationship Skills

CARE LIFE Connections More CARE Connections Christian CARE Intro Christian Relationship Skills Perceptions Three Things Everyone Wants Site Menu    What does it mean to listen? To pay close attention, to hear and understand Have you considered this...? We speak 200 - 250 words per minute and our brain processes information at 600 words per minute; because of this we are often ready to speak even before we have heard what was said.   What is needed to become an effective listener? Time: in order not to rush things along too quickly Patience: so that you can more easily consider the subject being discussed Concentration: in order to direct your full attention toward the speaker Energy: listening is an exercise... energy is required Interest: in the speaker, and in the subject being presented Understanding: to comprehend as fully as possible the speaker's thoughts     God's example..... ...He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath He hid His face from him; but when he cried unto Him, He heard. Psalms 22:24

How people often listen to one another Superficially: on the surface, in a shallow way Preparing to answer before having heard what was being presented In a distracted way... Thinking about something other than what they're hearing Do you think weakness in listening skills hinders communication efforts? Good listener characteristics They avoid distractions, or thinking about unrelated matters while listening They don't immediately react to what is being presented They don't immediately react to the speaker's personality They avoid selective listening They strive to keep an open and objective mind They listen for expressions of emotion in the voice Evaluate Your Own Listening Skills Do people ever say to you: "You're not listening to me.."?  Yes No Do you have trouble avoiding distractions?   Yes No Do you frequently interrupt when someone is speaking?    Yes No Do you find yourself doing things, while listening, to save time?    Yes No Do you maintain eye contact with the person you speak with?    Yes No Do you use verbal and non-verbal clues to show your interest?    Yes No Do you look for the speaker's deeper meanings or emotions?    Yes No Do you enjoy listening more than you like to talk?    Yes No Do you enjoy having people listen while you're speaking?     Yes No What do you think effective listening can accomplish? What can result from speaking before you've heard fully what is being said?   Study the three examples listed below relating to Jesus' listening and communication skills. Discuss with a friend the immediate and long-term impact you think each experience made on the people He spoke with. Jesus at the age of twelve speaking in the Temple at Jerusalem: Luke 2: 46, 47 Jesus with Nicodemus during a late night visit: John 3: 1-10 Jesus, a woman of Samaria, and the people from her village: John 4:1-30, 39-42   ...When you listen, paths are created for future communications...   The materials you have been studying up to this point can assist in getting the process of communication started, but there is more to be implemented. Next we will be discussing how identifying with people and their needs can help further in problem solving. Use the Identify link below to contine to the next study in this series. Each section is color coded for easier navigation.

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