Yesterday at our ecumenical Bible study we looked at listening. Part of our discussioon:

12 Easy Ways to Improve Your Listening and Make Others Feel Heard (writer had explanations):
By Blake Glosson

1.  Look people in the eye.
2.  Face people.
3.  Put down your phone.
4. Ask engaging questions.
5.   Ask clarifying questions.
6.  Smile.
7.  Give nonverbal feedback while he/she is talking.
8.  Don’t assume you already know what she/he is going to say.
9.  Write down key details.
10. Set aside time for distracted listening.
11. Pray. (before you meet someone)
12. Follow up.

Our Bible verse was “Don’t ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little…..” (James 1:19 a).

The Bible Commentary: “When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs. James (writer) wisely advises us to reverse this process. Put a mental stopwatch on our conversations and keep track of how much we talk and how much we listen. In our conversations, do others feel that their viewpoints and ideas have value?”

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