Posted in Commonplace Book

This was soooooo good that it needed to be repeated.  This is what listening looks like in case I forget while I am blogging, while I am answering emails or while I am cooking dinner:

“Stop, Drop, and Roll.”
Stop whatever you are doing.
Drop, or set down, whatever you are holding.
Roll, your eyes and body toward the speaker to let them know that you want to hear what they have to say.
 
Don’t talk but make listening noises. Don’t say anything. Just try to look like you want to listen. Do use noises that show you are listening, “I see,” “Oh,” and “Uh Huh.”

Read your child’s nonverbal communication. Sometimes it will tell you things that they won’t say out loud. Do they look angry, sad, apprehensive, or happy? 

Open up more by asking questions or giving simple commands like, “How did that make you feel?” and “What happened next?” Be encouraging and listen behind the words for feelings that might not eve n be identified by your child, “You seem very excited about that!” or “I bet that made you angry.”

Pray with them to help them solve their problems as you feel they need it. Always direct them to pray first by asking, “Have you prayed about this?” Then help them think about future actions by asking things like, “What do you want to happen next?” or “What do you think she feels like?” or “Did you say you were sorry for your part in this?” Don’t try to come up with a solution but encourage them to think it through on their own. Look for biblical or personal illustrations that might point out how to achieve a good outcome. Remember, listening is what this is all about.
To wrap it all up in a nutshell, open your ears and shut your mouth.

Except from Lorrie Flem at Teach Magazine:
http://www.teachmagazine.net/Lorries_Blog.php?blog_id=9&frompage=latestblog