CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Wednesday in our Relationship Spotlight we hit on the one skill that can improve all your relationships: active listening.
It sounds like it should be simple enough. Yet so many of us aren't good at it.
That's where Life Coach, and speaker Colleen Odegaard steps in to help.
Our first question for Colleen...What is active listening?
A: Simply put, it’s listening on purpose. (I’ll elaborate!)
Followed by: Why is this helpful in improving all relationships?
A: Because people like to be known, heard, seen and understood. It encourages respect and understanding. This is especially helpful in romantic relationships or when there’s conflict in a relationship. The catch is, when there’s conflict, it’s hard to do … which is why we have to practice.
So how do we practice active listening or how do we get better at it:
A: Pay attention and be present and ask open ended questions, paraphrase what you are hearing from the other person, and express empathy.
The key is to not get defensive when you’re the listener… even if you don’t agree with what the person is saying!!!
To learn more, follow Colleen on instagram @colleen_odegaard
OR go to her website colleenodegaard.com
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