Empathy

For a long time, I thought getting better at communicating really meant learning to talk more assertively, express my thoughts much more clearly – and always find just the right words for each conversation. Whilst these abilities are certainly vital, I ultimately found out that the key element of communication actually has very little to do with speaking at all. It has lots to do with listening. I realized that quite a few of my chats weren’t quite as significant as they really could’ve been since I’d so often be listening with the goal of responding instead of really getting it. Occasionally I’d get ready mentally with my reply while the other person was still talking. At times I’d assume I’d already grasped their point even before they’d even completed explaining it. Although I never really meant to dismiss individuals, I gradually saw that hearing someone and truly listening to them are literally two completely different activities altogether.