Historically, the majority of stressors facing humans were physical (lions and tigers and bears, oh my!), requiring, in turn, a physical response. "We are not particularly splendid physical creatures," says David Spiegel, M.D., director of the Center on Stress and Health at Stanford School of Medicine, who explains that plenty of other animals can outrun us, overpower us, out-see us, out-smell us. "The only thing that has allowed us to explore the planet is the fact that we can respond effectively to threats."
Via
Maggie Rouman,
ozziegontang
Useful words and ideas for both leaders and non-leaders
From the article:
A Warm-Up Exercise for Your Listening Skills
Find a friend and try the following activity:
Conduct a conversation where the only rule is that you and your communication partner must begin each sentence with the last word of your partner’s sentence.
Let this run for about three minutes or, until one of you bursts into laughter with some of the resultant silly sentences.
The payoff from this simple “active listening” activity courtesy of Val and Sarah Gee writing in “Business Improv” (check out my Leadership Caffeine podcast with the authors) is to remind you how difficult it is to stay in the moment and remain focused on the words of your colleague. It takes deliberate effort to silence the symphony (or cacophony) in your mind.
While you might drive everyone nuts if you practice this technique without them knowing the rules, let the activity serve as a reminder of your obligation to listen harder and seek to understand.
Are you just hearing others or truly listening to others?