For those of us that have taken our coach training, we know all too well how easy it is to forget and/or get out of the habit of deep listening…because deep listening really isn’t the norm in our society; it’s up to us to make it the norm.

Deep listening involves truly being present to what another person is saying without judgement, without an agenda, and without thinking about your response while the other person is talking. Different types of paraphrasing (like what we teach in our coach training program) are easy to use and can completely shift conversations (and relationships) for the better.

Here is a quick self-assessment to see how much you have been engaging in deep listening lately:

1. How often have you been paraphrasing in conversations? (ie. Used other words to accurately sum up and clarify what another person has just said.)

2. How often have you been using lazer paraphrases in your responses? (ie. Super quick/one or two word paraphrases.)

3. How often have you been using mirroring? (ie. Longer, nearly identical paraphrases to what another person has just said.)

4. To what degree have you been using somatic resonance? (ie. Listened on a body level and felt what another person might be feeling.)

5. Who in your life do you think you need to listen to more?

6. Are you listening to yourself?

We invite you to focus on deep listening and take note of the results and changes you notice in your conversations, relationships, and self-care.