Do you know how to improve your understanding or why it’s important? These simple ways can be a good start. Even better, everyone can easily do them.
“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood.” – Ralph Nichols.
Why It’s Essential to Improve Your Understanding
Why do you need to improve your understanding? Being human, everyone has specific basic needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs outlines them quite well and covers what we think about needs.
Yet one of our most basic needs, the need to understand and be understood, seldom gets much attention. But it should. Interacting with others, whether at work, home, or elsewhere, involves a need for understanding. This is crucial for successfully achieving all of life’s goals, especially stretch goals.
However, think about the consequences of not understanding others. For example:
- You can miss important cues.
- Also, you may lose out on opportunities.
- Moreover, you may fail to see changes to react appropriately.
- Or you may go off in a different direction.
- Besides, you’re more likely to be selfish when you lack understanding.
Similarly, without others understanding us, we’re often confused, frustrated, overlooked, angry, misinterpreted, and taken for granted. Learning effective ways to cope with frustration may help.
Tips to Improving Your Understanding
But how can you improve your ability to understand others? Also, how do you make it easier for people to understand you? Here are some tips that may help:
Think Before Speaking to Improve Your Understanding
First, think about what you’ll say – before you say it. What’s the purpose of your conversation? Do you need to inform, get information, ask for help, or offer sympathy, encouragement, or advice? Your message will likely be better received and understood when you know why you need to say something.
Choose Your Words Wisely,
Second, you can say fewer words, but choose them wisely. People lose interest when a conversation drags on. Get to the point as quickly as possible. However, you may be too distracted if you have difficulty with this. So, if you need help dealing with distractions, try these coping tips.
Get to the Point Quickly and Stop
Next, when you speak, know when it’s time to stop. Consider this suggestion. After you talk, take a breath. Then, give the listener time to process your words and respond. Conversation is a two-way exchange, not just one-way.
Become a Good Listener
Fourth, develop your listening skills. This is essential. Concentrate on the other person’s words instead of thinking about yours. To better understand others, you must hear what they’re saying. Try these tips to learn better listening skills.
Use Appropriate Non-Verbal Responses
Finally, understanding others sometimes means you respond non-verbally. Instead of a lecture on what they did wrong, maybe what’s needed is a hug or a sympathetic look. Besides, actions are expressions of understanding. You can work on this technique to improve your understanding of others and theirs of you.
