Empathic Listening: Keys To Understanding This Skill And Why It Matters
As is well known, hearing is not the same as listening; And to achieve a deep understanding of what someone is telling us, as well as successful communication, it is necessary to devote oneself completely to the other person, to their specific needs and approaches.
In this sense, Empathic listening is an essential element to relate appropriately and efficiently with our environment: both when dealing with the people around us and also to learn from our mistakes when interacting with the rest of society, reconsider our point of view and improve as people .
One of the key concepts to take into account when enhancing our social skills is empathy It is a set of aptitudes and skills that allow us both to recognize emotional states in others and to adapt to them, assuming the value of that set of feelings that, although we do not experience directly, are also of great importance for us, when sharing a space. with those people.
Thus, being empathetic implies not only making relatively accurate estimates about what others feel, but also adopting a constructive attitude towards that psychological reality that we perceive in others, looking for points of agreement between ours and that of those people.
With what we have seen so far, we can begin to understand what empathic listening consists of; It’s about the ability to actively attend to and understand another person also taking into account their feelings, emotions, their non-verbal language and all the implications and subtexts that the message transmitted to us may have.
This ability allows us to put ourselves in the place of our interlocutor and deeply analyze both his intentions and his needs, as well as his internal emotional reality: his possible suffering or frustration, what interests him, his motivations, what makes him distrust, etc
Empathic listening is, without a doubt, one of the most necessary social skills to relate functionally to our environment, to establish healthy relationships and also to establish alliances and synergy dynamics.
In addition to helping us in the social aspect with others, empathic listening also exerts a positive influence on ourselves and helps us improve in a wide variety of personal, emotional and behavioral aspects, since it provides us with information about the way in which others deal with their emotions, their problems and their projects and dreams.
How does empathetic listening help us improve as people?
Relating empathically to our environment and actively listening to other people has very positive effects on our daily lives and It helps us achieve the best version of ourselves on various levels and both in the short and long term
Empathic listening is a necessary skill both to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes and to understand the changing dynamics of people and groups of people around us whether they are our loved ones, co-workers or superiors in the workplace.
Some of the main benefits of applying it to our lives are the following:
So, be sensitive to the mental reality of those around us not only on an intellectual level, but also emotionally, is a very necessary skill to respond to possible changes both in the personal and work spheres, or even to anticipate the needs of our environment. Which allows us to successfully adapt to the demands of day-to-day life and achieve better results at all levels.
How does empathic listening help us question our beliefs?
In addition to helping us improve both personally and socially, empathic listening is also a social skill that It encourages questioning our own ideas and beliefs and helps us reflect on our way of seeing the world
This is because it allows us to put ourselves in the other’s shoes, value other ways of thinking and alternative ways of conceiving problems and needs and, ultimately, new ways of interpreting the world. This is a very favorable starting point to enrich our vision of reality, correct errors and anticipate the way in which others may react in certain situations.
Likewise, active listening is a tool that allows you to change a preconceived opinion about other people and go beyond clichés and prejudices by assuming how others think and feel.
In summary
As we have seen, enhancing the skills associated with listening and empathizing is key. not only to improve our way of relating in personal and professional life, but also as a tool for personal development and learning Training in them provides advantages at key moments and also on a day-to-day basis.
