Listening well can be hard for people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). But with preparation and a few strategies, you can improve your listening skills and communication.
Here are some steps to help you get ready to listen better:
- Pick a Good Spot: Find a quiet, comfy place with no distractions. Turn off the TV and put your phone on silent. A calm space can help you focus on the speaker.
- Get Ready in Your Mind: Take a few deep breaths before you start a conversation. Try to clear your mind and put aside any worries. Remind yourself that you need to listen and give your full attention.
- Use What You See: If you have a hard time concentrating, looking at things can help. Keep eye contact with the speaker, nod now and then, and use your face to show you are paying attention. These visual cues can help you focus and show the speaker that you are listening.
- Stop Doing Other Things: Try not to do other stuff while you listen. Pay attention only to the conversation. Doing other things can make it harder to understand and remember information. But sometimes fiddling with something, taking notes, or drawing can help you pay attention.
- Write It Down: If you have trouble remembering things, take notes during the conversation. Writing down key points can help you stay focused and give you something to look at later. It also shows the speaker that you are paying attention.
- Ask Questions: Get ready to ask questions if you don’t understand something. Asking things like “Can you explain that?” or “What do you mean by…?” can help you understand the conversation better. It also shows the speaker that you are interested.
- Practice Active Listening: Active listening means hearing the words and understanding the message. Repeat what you heard in your own words to make sure you understand. Saying things like “So what you’re saying is…” can help you make sure you understood the speaker.
- Use Help to Remember: If it’s hard to remember details, use tools like recording devices (with permission) or apps made for recording conversations. These tools can help you review and remember important points.
By following these steps, you can get ready to listen better, improve your communication, and build better relationships. Remember, listening is a skill that gets better with practice, and if you keep working at it, you can get better at focusing and understanding others.
TODAY’S NOTE: “For me it is important to hear things more than once, for my partner he gets overwhelmed and frustrated by saying something twice. For him, it is best to be silent for up to ten minutes so he can process.” – In Solidarity, Liz
Red Shoes Rock 