i am currently taking an Interpersonal Communications class for my Communication major and i seriously love this class! every time i go i always learn so much and we discuss things that we deal with on a daily basis- communicating! our world is FULL of several communication channels- self-talk, face to face, blogging, facebook, texting, interpersonal, mass communication, its everywhere.

yesterday we talked about Listening. it's something that i feel everyone thinks they are a good listener, but are we really? i had a news flash about a month ago when my sister (who i share an apartment with) told me that i wasn't a good listener. at first i was taken back. i thought that was one of my strengths! not a weakness... but i decided to take her advice in becoming a better listener. i can totally see a big difference in my relationships with family, friends and those i communicate with by taking the time to really listen to what they have to say.

i decided to create a motivational poster from my notes i took in class. Listening is an act of service- it changes everything. i just love that! i don't think you really realize that when you take the time to listen to others, it is an act of service. i'm sure you love it when someone takes the time to listen to you, so why not listen to others as well?

1. Talk less > stop talking about yourself and focus on the person you are with
2. Get rid of distractions > put your cell phone in your pocket, close your laptop, drop everything and really listen
3. Don't judge prematurely > listen first, process what they are saying to understand it, then evaluate before responding
4. Look for key ideas > focus on the key idea of what is being said to retain the information

i know that if you really take the time to listen to your friend, spouse, roommate, boyfriend, family member, etc. then your relationship with that person will become stronger and deeper.

happy tuesday!