Power in Listening
Sometimes, the listener has more power than the speaker.
Hearing someone out, has impact.
People crave to be heard.
From all the noise of social media and bombardments of our notifications on our personal devices, I think people crave more to be listened to, than the likes they receive.
Instead of voicing your opinion on their situation, sometimes just saying, "I hear you", can make someone's day.
At Tesla, I would assist in de-escalating customers, and making them feel heard is one of the ways to align with them through genuine empathy. Works great.
Another form of listening: I recall being around my brother's friends growing up. They were all at least 2 years older than me.
I would hear them discuss topics I haven't heard of before and observe how they would go about it. I didn't have anything to contribute at the time, so I just listened.
I tried to piece together the fundamentals by asking questions for clarity when there were less people. (I was shy). It helped me keep an open mind and practice patience even about new complicated things.
Then, in my own friend groups, I would be told I was the mature one. Years later, a close friend also told me that I had always been a kind of "leader" and person there to help decide on things...
I had not been conscious of it in the past, but as I go by my day to day now, I can see how listening has helped shape this.
Definitely more to explore here on the topic of listening. This feels like I'm scratching the surface.