Blogging Through the Alphabet: Letter L is for Listen

This week's letter for Blogging Through the Alphabet is the Letter L. For the Letter L, we'll be looking at the word Listen.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, Listen is an archaic (or very old) word meaning 1.) to give ear to; hear 2.) to pay attention to sound 3.) to hear something with thoughtful attention; give consideration 4.) to be alert to catch an unexpected sound. Listen is a verb. It requires action and intent. This is important to note because listening requires effort. It isn't something that can be done passively for it to be effective. When we Listen, we need to do so with purpose. By purpose, I mean we should make certain there aren't any distractions, such as the television, to take our focus off of the person speaking. By purpose, I mean that our body language should be warm and inviting: listeners make good eye contact, show appropriate facial expressions that express empathy, lean forward slightly toward the person speaking, occasionally nod your head to indicate you are listening, and remove any physical barriers (such as a desk) between you and the speaker.

When we Listen with intent, we show the person speaking that we care. We show them that they are important to us and that we want to truly hear what they have to say. Listening is a valuable skill. When we actively Listen, we are investing in our relationships.

Thank you for stopping by my blog to learn more about the Letter L and the word Listen. Please take a moment to stop by my friends A Net in Time and Hopkins Homeschool who host Blogging Through the Alphabet each week to see what Letter L words they shared this week. While there, you may also want to click on the other blogs participating in the link-up to see what interesting Letter L words they have to share as well.