How Active listening fades away your Anxiety

Anxiety and networking

The world of anxiety can limit how we network and make connections with people. That causes us to examine closely at what networking aspects can be affected by anxiety. It is through networking that ideas are shared, partnerships are forged, and skills are nurtured. One very important aspect of networking is communication, which involves active listening.

Although "active listening" may be a term you have encountered in various contexts, its relevance extends to different situations. What is the role of anxiety in active listening and how can we collaborate better to ensure that our ideas and thoughts and those of others achieve are well communicated? Anxiety can be looked at across a spectrum, from mild to severe levels. In some instances, it can impact our ability to engage in work and get the most in our social interactions. The following case illustrates how active listening can help alleviate anxiety and improve communication:

Picture a situation in a team meeting where member A is presenting. If questions arise about certain aspects that A might have overlooked in the presentation, he could feel uneasy and question his abilities, causing him to avoid seeking clarification on the topic or providing clear details in response. To reduce this uneasiness and ensure effective communication, it is advantageous to incorporate two essential elements of active listening: paraphrasing and reflective thinking. The latter prepares your mind to capture the thoughts correctly from the other person's perspective. Reflective thinking on the other hand exposes us to fresh ideas and perspectives that enrich discussions and provide valuable insights for team collaboration.

Paraphrasing and reflective thinking require mental practice until it becomes part of your everyday interactions, not only in work settings but with our friends and family. They minimize anxiety that presents itself in questions like, what will I say? How will I say it? What will the other person think of me? Will I sound illiterate? Will I be judged? Here are examples of paraphrasing questions:

• I heard you mention ... is that correct?

• Would you help me further understand when you mentioned ...

• Apart from ... and ... is there anything else I have missed out in your question?

Examples of Reflective thinking questions

• I felt that including this or that might not capture the other thought I was trying to bring on board.

• I refenced the material that was shared in our company profile. I am open to see how it may impact the idea I am trying to communicate

• In your own personal time you could ask yourself: What else might I have considered to make this better?

Paraphrasing prepares your mind to capture the thoughts correctly from the other person's viewpoint. Reflective thinking on the other hand exposes us to fresh ideas and perspectives that enrich discussions and provide valuable insights for team collaboration.

Let's engage in a short exercise, shall we?

Having sensed that anxiety may come in the way of your networking and communication, you can try the exercise below either on a piece of paper or your journal of you have one:

1. Give the anxiety a name. For instance, "Impurity" or "foreign object" or any other name you choose.

2. Answer these three questions:

   a) Are there times the "impurity" or "foreign object" is not present?

   b) What do I observe about myself when "foreign object" is not present?

   b) Is there anything I do to make the "impurity" or "foreign object" any less present?

   c) What would happen if "impurity" or "foreign object" is not present at all?

This article makes suggestions to the answer on question 2 (c) above by looking at how the components of reflective thinking and paraphrasing as part of active listening is able to minimize the anxiety.

Active listening stems from a point of self-awareness on how we respond to life issues and the meaning we attribute to them. It provides us with opportunities to explore ideas and perspectives we may not have ever considered before that can be useful to our growth and personal development. Is anxiety hindering your personal growth and ability to pursue new opportunities, reach out to us today for therapy support. Our Individual therapy for Anxiety can be a great place to start!

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments below on the thoughts raised in this article. We would love to hear from you!