Practice active listening

One must be willing to take time to expose the gospel, and also to listen with attention. "The eunuch said to Philip : I beg you, who is the prophet saying about this ? Is it about himself or someone else ?" (Acts 8:34) To know how to dialogue is above all to know how to listen. Misunderstanding mostly arises from a lack of attention. And for a discussion to be a real exchange, one must be sincerely interested in the other's point of view and make the effort to understand it. Listening to the other does not necessarily mean adopting one's point of view. But it means to him that we understand what he tells us.

Here are some tips to respect for a really constructive discussion :

. exclude one's own preconceptions

. pay attention to hasty interpretations

. let the interlocutor speak without interrupting him

. use silences

. ask open questions

. to be available at the level of the physical attitude

. invite the listener to clarify his thought when it is imprecise

. to smile to him even if his ideas are different,

. share your convictions with gentleness and respect.

In a discussion, you really have to be careful not to be a donor of lessons. The formulas of the style "in your place..." or "I know what you are going to tell me" are to be banned. It is also very important to control your annoyance by avoiding expressions such as "come to the point" or "the question is not there". You should not be a judge by using expressions like "it's wrong" or "it's not the subject". Use the "but" or "I do not think so" instead.

Jeremy Sourdril