What’s in it for You?
Active listening is more beneficial than you might realise. It doesn’t just give people the impression that you are listening, and that you care for what they have to say. It does more than that, and the benefits come later. The main thing that comes from active listening is the undoubted improvement in a relationship.
If people feel comfortable telling you things, and they get a sense that you care and are listening they will feel more trustworthy around you, and should you need to talk to someone, there’s a higher chance that they will be there for you. You should gain a better sense of openness with this person, and through talking and understanding a mutual respect for them as well. Active listening is also a great way to start mending poor relationships. If you’ve had a falling out with someone, just hearing what they have to say, and understanding their point of view can help you iron out any problems that you might have. Communication is a vital tool when it comes to conflict and difficulty.
Besides your relationships, it can also help with your work too. If you’re in a meeting and someone is talking about a certain task that needs doing and you’re the only person actively listening to what they have to say, you will most likely be the only person who understands what the task really is, and what really needs to be done. If you can do this over and over again, consistently proving that you can understands what’s being asked of you will go a long way to not only improve your relationship with managers and leaders, but you can also gain other positive rewards like a pay rise, or time off all through purely listening where others weren’t.
When people talk, the objective for them is for people to listen, and validate what they have to say. As an active listener, it’s your job to LISTEN. Listen to their issues, listen to their opinions, listen to what they have to say, and you will not only help build relationships, and create opportunities and benefits for yourself, but you will also learn. You will learn empathy, you will learn tolerance, and you will simply learn facts that you didn’t know before. All of this comes from active listening.