In this final segment of my 5-part series on Conscious Communication I’d like to address a couple of things that are imperative to good communication. Silence and listening.

1. Silence. Such a vast topic, and yet something we don’t experience often enough. In this post, I just want to ask you how much time you spend in silence?

Think for a moment about how you feel when there is silence within a conversation.

To most of us, silence in a conversation feels awkward. You know, that awkward silence we all dread. 🙂

Choosing to get more comfortable with silence in general is a good idea, and here’s why…

2. Listening. To be a good listener takes practice. Being a good listener requires the ability to be “with” someone while they are the speaker, and you are the listener.

If you are thinking of what your reply will be while they are talking you are “in your head” and not “with them”, and at that point you are not fully listening.

Here is where silence comes in, 1.) you listen, fully; get “over there” with them, 2.) you determine your reply AFTER they are finished speaking. <–This requires being comfortable with a bit of silence, and this is where we so often refuse the path of the GREAT LISTENER and take the mediocre listener path instead.

We get uncomfortable with the idea that there might be silence and we make sure to jump in as soon as possible and start talking. (Oops!…wrong path!)

But a really great listener is the person that can really HEAR you.

Something magical happens when people feel heard. The energy shifts, the air clears, the tension lessons, and relief is often felt.

So, a couple of tips for being a GREAT listener:

1. Breathe, and relax.
2. Choose the idea that silence is a good thing.
3. Metaphorically put yourself “over there” with your speaker and focus on what they are saying.
4. Realize that sometimes you hearing them is more powerful than you having something to say.

In this series we have determined that it is important to your success to: have difficult conversations, decide to be authentic, learn the right way to make the conversation about you, choose to be happy instead of being right, take the path of being a great listener.

Now I’d like to help you completely transform your relationships with my proprietary Peaceful Power Process™ eBook.  This is the tool my private clients rave about and I’m happy I can now offer it to you!

Until next time…

Love & Magic,

Cindie

P.S. All of these posts in this series have been the starting blocks, the beginning, the foundation of great communication. Now you’re ready for a transformation in the way you communicate.