25 Active Listening
Active listening is a skill that many believe they possess, but in reality, it’s interesting to realize that it’s harder to execute than we might think. I’ve learned to practice active listening and encountered challenges in the process. Active listening involves focusing entirely on what a person is saying and then attempting to articulate their message by paraphrasing it to the best of your ability. Engaging in this exercise and subsequently confirming with the person if your understanding aligns with their intended message can reveal how easily misunderstandings can occur.
I tried practicing this with a friend; He was telling me that he has decided to pay closer attention to the food that he was consuming because he has studied this week in biology that so much of the food we consume was processed and was the cause of most of the diseases we have in the world today. He did not notice that I was practicing active listening, therefore He kept on telling me more details about what he learned from biology class. From that, I have learned about processed food and started planning for what we will be planting in our farm next season. From this experience, I noticed how challenging it gets for me when I have to listen with attention for a long period of time.