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Listening—the Other Half How to listen without
debate, reaction, or judgment.
There is no
Truthspeaking without Truthlistening. A voice needs and open and
accepting ear to receive it. Learning how to listen is one of the
best ways to learn Truthspeaking, and a good way to encourage others
to Truthspeak. This is because—even though Truthlistening is
equally as important as Truthspeaking—it is so much simpler and
easier to learn. The length of this section on Listening will attest
to that, yet don’t allow its brevity to influence the amount of
attention you give to it. Truthspeaking and Truthlistening are like
your right and left legs; both are equally important, and without
either one you would be severely handicapped.
Respecting
another’s Truth means listening without debate, reaction or
judgment. This is core to accepting another’s Truth, and here are
some simple guidelines on how to do it.
(Text Box
Insert) Listening Skills
• Listen
deeply, with your whole being, to what is being said beyond
words by eyes, posture,
skin tone, body movements, and tone of voice. Listen also with your
intuitive ears.
• Listen in
silence, because only in silence can another voice be fully heard.
• Listen with
acceptance. Judgment—the ego's reaction to Truth—distorts
another's Truth because it causes selective memory. Remember
that acceptance does not necessarily mean agreement.
• When
unclear, ask rather than second guess. Guesses more often reflect
your Truth than the speaker’s.
• Notice the
speaker’s judgments and assumptions, so that you might mirror them
back to her.
• Help the
speaker to stay on one subject at a time. This is for her clarity as
well as yours.
• As needed,
encourage the speaker to slow down or pause between words and
sentences, to
give you space
for comprehension and reflection (This also shows the speaker that
you are listening)
• If it is
not working, take a break
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