How to get yourself heard so you don't get misunderstood

Talking is easy. Especially when you're free. Getting yourself heard is a different matter entirely, much more difficult when we sometimes feel like we live in a world of deaf ears. And if we fail to do so, a balance is disrupted, wasted, within ourselves and also in our relationships with others. A sort of ripple effect: we fail to make ourselves heard, and so we feel misunderstood. Alone. A dialogue breaks down, and its absence creates a feeling of abandonment, which then quickly turns into resentment and resentment.

HOW TO GET YOURSELF HEARD

It goes without saying that technology hasn't broken down the barriers that prevent good communication. If anything, in some cases it has raised them. Today, 43 percent of people feel unheard due to a lack of attention, and the age group most affected by this true abandonment syndrome is between 18 and 22 , the young people who use our electronic devices the most.

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So: how do you get yourself heard? How do you say things effectively? How do you arouse the attention and curiosity of your interlocutor? Try following our method: five simple and practical , yet highly effective, tips.

EMPATHY

The door to listening opens wide when you and your listener manage to break through the barrier of empathy. And the more natural the transition, the more attention will be paid to you and what you're saying. Furthermore, empathy, in building rapport, brings all interlocutors to positions of mutual understanding. Being comfortable together, perhaps through smiles and shared emotions rather than arguments, is already a way to be heard.

DON'T JUDGE AND DON'T COMPLAIN

The approach that leads to listening also involves a few things to avoid. In order: don't be assertive in tone or content (like, "What the heck are you saying!"), don't judge, don't complain, don't exaggerate to the point of bullshit, don't be dogmatic, and don't constantly look for excuses to justify your behavior. Naturalness and ease are key.

ACCEPT DIFFERENT OPINIONS

It's self-evident. Making yourself heard is a form of construction, built in layers, on levels, and you can gradually progress as, in dialogue, you reciprocate the other's attention with your own. On equal terms. Without arrogance, without ever giving the impression of being uninterested in what the other person is saying. And remember: listening is never a waste of time, unlike excessive words. Plutarch said: "We have one mouth and two ears, because we should listen more and speak less."

ACCEPT DIFFERENT THINKING

To be heard, you don't need to have fragile opinions and weak thoughts. You can also vigorously defend your point of view, without putting up barricades, without closing yourself off within your certainties. Diversity of viewpoints is always a source of enrichment, as is the stimulation of critical thinking. And the one who, among so many opinions, manages to synthesize them truly wins. Likewise, don't be afraid to change your mind (which on the web means undergoing an online trial, if not the pillory); it's a sign of intelligence.

THE WILL TO DO

When you manage to make yourself understood, a new energy will emerge, almost mechanically. A desire to do something. As if to empirically confirm what you've said only with words. Don't waste it. Dialogue, the narrative constructed by many voices, also brings this result: we become very active. And the feeling of loneliness, of abandonment, will be far away from us.

THE RIGHT TRACKS FOR A BETTER LIVING:

• Enjoy the Little Things: 10 Ways to Live Better and Be Happier
• In a world suffocated by noise, let's rediscover the importance of silence. To live better.
• You can never have too much patience
• Calmness, the virtue needed to combat panic. The energy to avoid wasting our serenity.
• Candor, a virtue that makes you more beautiful. Candor people also have more light.