Page 46 - Kindness - No Forward

Hold up a Mirror When You’re Listening

One of the best ways to show you are listening and acknowledging the
other person’s message is called mirroring.

Mirroring involves “reflecting” the message of the speaker through your
body language. Examples of mirroring include nodding as the speaker
makes points, leaning forward when the speaker leans, and using
occasional verbal signals such as “I understand,” “I see,” etc.

These mirroring signals simply reflect your understanding of what is being
said.

Who doesn’t want to be understood when they are telling their story?
Mirroring confirms that the message is clearly received by reflecting the
speaker’s own message back to them.

A friend of mine went to a meeting where he had the opportunity to meet
the 1994 Miss America, Heather Whitestone, who has been deaf since a
young age.

In addition to being a charming person, here is how he described her:

“Ed, she listened with her eyes!”