We all want to feel heard. But being listened to, and being really listened to, aren’t the same thing.
In everyday conversations, people often listen while also:
Thinking about what to say next
relating it to their own experience
trying to help and
trying to solve the problem.
In coaching, the focus stays with you.
Your words.
Your thinking.
Your experiences.
And sometimes, what you’re not saying.
A coach will notice:
The word you keep repeating, the thing you quickly move past, a change in your energy, and the gap between what you’re saying and what you’re feeling.
And sometimes, being listened to differently helps you listen to yourself differently too.
That’s the power of being truly listened to. Not someone waiting to give you an answer. But some creating the space for you to hear your own.
Coaching really is being listened to differently.
What might you notice if you felt truly heard?