1 . Active listening is a communication skill that involves going beyond simply hearing the words that another person speaks but also seeking to understand the meaning and intention behind them. The word “active” implies that you are taking some type of action when listening to others.

Be fully present

Active listening requires being fully present in the conversation. It enables you to concentrate on what is being said. Being present involves listening with all your senses and giving your full attention to the speaker. To use this active listening technique effectively, put away your cell phone, ignore distractions, and shut down your internal dialogue.     2     And let everything else slip away.

Pay attention to non-verbal cues (非言语暗示)

As much as 65% of a person’s communication is unspoken,     3    . This involves not folding your arms, smiling while listening, leaning in, and nodding at key points. It can also be helpful to pay attention to your facial expressions when active listening so that you don’t convey any type of negative response.

Keep good eye contact

When engaged in active listening, making eye contact is especially important. This tells the other person that you are present and listening to what he or she says.     4     At the same time, you don’t want to use so much eye contact that the conversation feels strange. To keep this from happening, follow the 50/70 rule. This involves maintaining eye contact for 50% to 70% of the time spent listening, holding the contact for four to five seconds before briefly looking away.

Be patient

Patience is an important active listening technique because it allows the other person to speak without interruption. Being patient involves not trying to fill periods of silence with your own thoughts or stories. This also requires listening to understand, not to respond.     5     Also, don’t change the subject too abruptly as this conveys boredom and impatience.

3 . Making friends as an adult can be tough, but it isn’t impossible.     1    

According to psychologist and friendship expert Dr Marisa G Franco, there is a necessary element for starting a friendship: continuous unplanned interactions (being in the same place and the same time, again and again). When we’re younger and at school or university, this is much easier as we’re automatically placed within a wide network of people who are all going through the same thing.     2     Unless we make the effort to put ourselves in situations where we’ll be among others, we probably won’t meet anyone new. So, your first step should be going to places where you can meet people.

    3     You also have to make the effort to engage with them. Introduce yourself and try to strike up a conversation.     4     This is fine: just keep at it until you find someone that you click with. Interestingly, a study by Cornell University found that most people underestimate how much people like them when they meet new people. So even if you feel a bit awkward, chances are that other people won’t see you in this way.

Once you’ve built up a friendly connection with someone, you need to give that relationship time to develop. Keep showing up and be intentional about the effort you put in with that person, while having enough confidence in the relationship to not be too demanding of them.     5    

4 . Active Listening: A Key Skill for Effective Communication

Active listening is a communication skill that goes beyond simply hearing words and involves fully taking part and understanding the speaker’s message. Importantly, it is a significant part in effective communication.     1     Here are some strategies to improve your active listening skills.

Give full attention to the speaker. Active listening requires being fully present in the conversation, observing the speaker’s body language, and facial expressions to avoid negative responses. It also requires listening to the speaker with all your senses, including sight, sound and so on.     2     For example, when you are chatting, put away your cellphones or stay away from a funny TV show.

Maintain good eye contact with the conversation partner. When taking part in active listening, making eye contact is especially important.     3     However, if we fix our eyes on your conversation partners all the time, it will make them embarrassed, which will probably end the conversation. To avoid it, follow the 50/70 rule, which means keeping eye contact for 50% to 70% of the time spent listening, holding contact for four to five seconds before looking away.

    4     Active listening involves asking follow-up questions, or summarizing the main points to show that we have paid attention. Additionally, reflecting on their words and offering proper responses can help create a productive dialogue. Responding should be supportive and respectful, allowing for further discussion and deeper understanding.

By actively listening, we can create stronger connections, and promote trust and respect in our relationships. Remember, active listening goes beyond simply hearing.     5    

5 . Customer service refers to the way that companies behave towards their customers.     1    However, many a time organizations don’t focus on customer relationship management, and that’s what makes customers angry, which is one of the reasons why companies lose their customers.     2    

First of all, you need to realize the great value of the customers. It’s they who are the boss, and it, s because of them that you get your pay checks. So do take your customers seriously.

    3     You need to ask the customers the right kind of questions and think of the possible solutions which you can provide. Understand how they feel according to a particular situation, their body language, tone of voice and words they speak. Never make assumptions and think that you know what the customers want.

Making customers feel they are important is an excellent way to serve them better.     4     The best way to do that is using their first name and finding ways of praising them in a sincere way.

In addition, there are some other skills which will help you in serving your customers better. For example, once you finish solving the problem for the customers, before ending the call, always remember to ask if there is anything else you can do for them. End the call with a “thank you”. If the customers are angry, let them express their anger completely.    5     Once they’ve finished speaking, try to calm them down by apologizing.

In a word, always remember that if the customers remain happy, you’ll be in business.

8 . Social media does have its shortcomings, and one of those is that it can often seem like everybody is living and winning big — except you.

    1       But the reality is that these people go through struggles just like everybody else. Nobody’s life is perfect all the time. We all go through life’s hardships, failure, and pain. Picture perfect moments do exist, but they exist amongst the real-life terrible moments.    2    

Someone could have +1000 likes on their pictures or a million views on their videos and still be unhappy.     3     There are people with only 10 likes but having plenty of friends, and people with +1000 likes that are lonely, depressed, in fed up relationships and have no real friends.

There are couples that appear happy on social media but behind those photos, they suffer a lot in relationships.     4     Things aren’t always what they appear to be.

You don’t know what some people go through to come out with the fantastic pictures you envy. The real key players mostly operate behind the scenes but make the most happen. They may look like nobody but they are building their kingdoms while others are getting high on likes and attention. Success is not what is presented on social media.     5    

Be yourself and never give up on yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. The real champions of social media are those who add value to others, not the ones who show their lifestyle to impress others.

10 . From birth, every person needs other human beings. Babies need to be cared for to survive. Their first _________ usually come from parents and brothers or sisters. As children grow up, _________, they spend more time with others. And they may or may not feel connected to the people they see every day. Some people feel different from or rejected by their neighbors, people they work with or even their families. People who don’t feel like they belong often feel _________, even when others are around.

People find different ways to meet their natural desire to _________ a group. Some rely on their families _________ others find communities based on other interests. These can include religious beliefs, shared goals, life experiences or popular culture.

You need others for many _________. Community members can offer advice or practical help when you go through difficult times. You can also grow as a person from helping others. And belonging helps give a sense of meaning as you become part of something bigger than yourself.

So what can you do if you _________ a sense of belonging? The first step will usually be to make a mindful effort to _________ others. You could join groups based on interests you share. Or you could contact an individual with whom you have something in common and decide when to meet up. This may be uncomfortable _________, but as with most things, it becomes easier with practice. Focusing on others more than on yourself may help. Ask questions that show you __________ others’ lives. This will help them feel valued. If you are shy, it will spare you from having to talk about yourself too much.

Finding community requires a(n) __________ to accept others. But it is also important to remain __________ to yourself. If you hide your thoughts and feelings to fit in, you won’t feel like you belong.

Finding a place where you belong may not be easy, but it will help you live a happier life.