Listen Up
How to be a good listener.
Do you want richer friendships and deeper impact in your ministry to others? Take a minute to review your listening skills. Certain behaviors signal to your friends, "You may be talking, but I'm not really listening!"
Here are common complaints about poor listeners. Do any of them describe you?
Need more help? Memorize the following Scriptures so the Holy Spirit can use them to prompt you to "listen up."
Do you want richer friendships and deeper impact in your ministry to others? Take a minute to review your listening skills. Certain behaviors signal to your friends, "You may be talking, but I'm not really listening!"
Here are common complaints about poor listeners. Do any of them describe you?
- You never look at me when I talk.
- You fidget with a pencil, a paper, or your fingernails. How can you do that and listen, too?
- You ask questions as if you doubt everything I say.
- You always try to get ahead of my story and guess my point, sometimes finishing sentences for me.
- You begin arguing with me before I have a chance to finish making my point.
- Everything I say reminds you of an experience you had or heard of recently.
- You act like you can't wait for me to stop talking so you can interject something.
- Whenever I have a good idea, you take credit by saying something like, "Oh, yes, I've been thinking that, too."
- You overdo being attentive - too many nods, mm-mms, or uh-huhs.
- You make jokes when I'm trying to be serious.
- You keep looking at your watch while I'm talking.
Need more help? Memorize the following Scriptures so the Holy Spirit can use them to prompt you to "listen up."
- "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (James 1:19).
- "He who answers before listening - that is his folly and his shame" (Proverbs 18:13).
