Relationship Tip: The Value of Listening

Posted by jeanlim on March 25, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Way back when I was taking my masters, I remember my first assignment in marital counseling class. After the wife rattled on about her complaints against her husband for about 10 minutes, I asked the husband to paraphrase what his wife said. The husband was taken aback and said something that was quite far from what the wife meant, which of course, made the wife more furious. I then asked the wife to repeat what she said, and this time, the husband really listened. He then made an accurate paraphrase, to which the wife remarked, “Now, at last, he understands!”

When we think of communication, we often think of ways we can express ourselves better … the right words to say, our facial expressions, tone of voice, etc. What we often forget is that communication is a two-way process, and 50% of it involves listening to the other person.

Read more

Filed under Family, Love, Relationships · Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

  . .