Practicing the Art of Listening

3 Ways to Listen Better

I signed up for an Advanced Communication class from Bell Leadership Institute about five years ago. If you are familiar with Bell Leadership and Dr. Bell’s philosophy and techniques, you will know it is not what I expected.

What drove me to sign up for this class was my passion for helping teams and experts collaborate and co-create. I noticed that, in many cases, people were talking but rarely listening to what was being said by others. As a facilitator, I found myself helping individuals in the room hear one another. But I digress.

I am not one to throw stones at others without first deeply examining my own shortcomings. So, I signed up for the Advanced Communications class to learn how to become a better listener. The class was a starting point for many other courses, books, and studying material on good listening skills. What I am about to share are the three main tactics I have used to improve my listening skills significantly. But I am like everyone else, “in the arena,” as Brene Brown would say, practicing every day and failing my way forward. Here are the three main things I consistently practice.

It’s All in the Face (and beyond)

No, I will not give you the basic advice “Look people in the eyes.” Instead, what I have…