21. Please Listen To Me: The Art Of Life Giving Communication

Hey guys, Chris and Melissa here!

Before you listen to this episode, we have a question for you...think back to the last conversation you had. Did you listen to respond or did you listen to hear?

Those two things may sound the same but when put into practice they have very different outcomes. In today's episode, we have an open discussion about learning to become better listeners and creating space for each other and our children so that they can be who they really are. We found that when we took a step back and really heard what our kids were saying it opened up more free communication between us, and it also helped them learn more about themselves.

We talk about our journey of learning to listen to each other and how asking the hard questions helped to learn more about each other, ourselves, and created trust and authenticity in our relationship. It's easier to stay on the surface and not ask hard or confronting questions but diving in and really hearing what the other person is saying brings so much joy and openness to those around you!

You'll learn about the resources that have helped us through this journey as well as some helpful tips from us to start incorporating real listening into your life today. Check out the links below and start listening to those closest to you in a way that lets you actually see them!

More of What We Talk About:

• Why we started working on listening to each other
• Listening to respond vs. listening to hear
• The one thing that people value the most
• The question we ask our kids to hear them better
• Finding the real emotions behind our kid's actions
• Creating authenticity between each other
• Listening to someone as if hearing them for the first time
• How Chris found space to explore himself
• Seeing your child for who they really are
• People connecting through their own stories
• And much more!

LINKS:

• Book - A Way Of Being
• Article - 6 Ways To Become A Better Listener
• Book - We Are All The Same Age Now
• Book - Give And Take

Website:

• familybrand.com

Social:

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/FamilyBrandOfficial

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ourfamilybrand
  YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCGu-7odB6gkPbyXpUIQLkrg

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/OurFamilyBrand

Free course:

• familybrand.com/10steps

Episode Minute By Minute:

• 1:04 What to expect today
• 2:04 The single biggest problem with communication
• 6:57 How to make anyone feel like they belong
• 9:53 Do you really hear people?
• 14:13 Don't go with your first reaction
• 18:41 A few questions you can ask your family to make sure you are being heard
• 23:42 How to get insight on how your relationships are going
• 28:03 Unearthing your calling
• 30:05 There is always time to learn how to listen
• 32:23 A story of when we had poor communication
• 34:49 How people relate to you
• 38:26 One of Melissa's super powers