Listening with Intention
There’s a quiet magic that happens when someone feels truly heard. Not just nodded at, not “uh-huh”-ed in passing — but deeply, soulfully received.
In our busy, talk-heavy world, listening often becomes the background hum to our next reply. But when we shift into intentional listening, everything changes. The energy softens. Defensiveness dissolves. Real connection can root and bloom.
Intentional listening is more than just hearing someone’s words — it’s choosing to be fully present with them. It’s putting the phone down, quieting your mental to-do list, and showing up with your whole self.
One book that beautifully explores this is We Need to Talk by Celeste Headlee. She reminds us that good conversation isn’t about how well we speak — it’s about how well we listen. With powerful research and personal anecdotes, she shows how we can improve our relationships (and even our communities) simply by becoming better listeners.
Here are a few invitations to deepen your listening practice:
🌿 Breathe Before You Respond
Give a small pause after someone finishes speaking. Let their words land before you jump to speak. That breath creates space for understanding to arise.
🌿 Listen to Understand, Not to Reply
Instead of crafting your next sentence while they’re talking, try to absorb what they’re saying. You’ll often find that what they really mean lives underneath their words.
🌿 Be Curious, Not Corrective
If you feel the urge to fix, correct, or interrupt — soften into curiosity instead. Ask questions that open rather than close: “Tell me more…” or “What did that feel like for you?”
🌿 Hold the Silence
Silence isn’t awkward — it’s sacred. Sometimes the most meaningful moments in a conversation are the quiet ones.
🌿 Check In With Your Body
Intentional listening happens through your whole being, not just your ears. Notice your body — are you open, grounded, relaxed? Or tense, guarded, distracted?
When we listen with intention, we offer the people in our lives a rare and healing gift: the feeling of being seen and safe. And in turn, we begin to hear ourselves more clearly too.
So this week, let this be your invitation: listen just a little more deeply. Speak a little less quickly. Stay with someone a little longer.
Because true listening is an act of love. And love, after all, is what we’re made of.
With presence and peace,
Maggie R
