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For Rewarding Conversations, Level Up Your Listening
January 3, 2023
I never wish to offend, but I am so foolishly shy, that I often seem negligent, when I am only kept back by my natural awkwardness…
-Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

According to psychologist Joel Minden, good listeners make regular eye contact without staring. They also match facial and emotional expressions to the speaker’s. To become a better listener, practice your “interviewing skills.”

“By asking questions early in a conversation, you’re making it clear that learning about the other person is a priority and you’re not just there to talk about yourself,” notes Minden. Balance asking relevant questions with offering a personal connection.

Taking listening to the next level involves offering reflective responses, mirroring back both what the speaker says and the underlying emotions; extending ideas and connecting information, and above all, to do so without trying to solve the other’s problems or to drive the conversation to something important to you only.   

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Comments (2)

Displaying All 2 Comments
Kirsten Haugen · January 06, 2023
Eugene, OR, United States


Yes, Judy, I think the idea of creating questions and environments for deep thinking deserves an article in Exchange... Are you up for writing one? Let us know!

Judy E. Williams · January 04, 2023
SE Distrct LCMS
Wade, NC, United States


I thought the article was very thought provoking.
I can't see it being used more in an elementary school classroom than an early childhood. I would LOVE to be there and listen to responses....AND, how we, as teachers, can create questions/environment to provoke/encourage "deep" thinking.



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