Psychology: 6-minute trick ensures more empathetic conversations

psychology
How to have more empathetic conversations in just 6 minutes

Let’s be honest: We’ve all listened to our counterparts poorly or not at all. Your own thoughts, the pretty bird on the park bench or an incoming call have caused distraction. If this happens once or twice, it’s not bad at all. But if problems in communication occur very often, a relationship can suffer quite a bit: Misunderstandings and non-empathetic reactions quickly trigger conflicts. The 3-2-1 technique can help.

This is how the 3-2-1 conversation technique works

All you need for this simple trick is a clock – because 3, 2 and 1 are minutes. First one person speaks for three minutes. The other person actively listens. When the time is up, you have to stop and move on to the next step. So everything important should appear at the beginning.

Afterward the person listening reflects on what was said. This can be in your own words or quotes. Crucial: No interpretations or evaluations may be formulated. The time for this is two minutes.

In the third step the first person in turn reacts to this reflection from the other person: “You understood me really well” can be an answer, but “You didn’t understand that part properly, I’ll explain it again” is also a good reaction. Since only one minute is allocated for this final phase, no completely new topic should be brought up.

Once you’ve finished, switch between the speaking and listening parts and repeat the exercise.

Always integrate

Because the 3-2-1 technique doesn’t take up a lot of time or organization, it can be perfectly integrated into everyday life every now and then. After a few repetitions you will notice: In yours In the speaking role, it is easier for you to express yourself clearly and to the point; as a listener, you are more concentrated and can respond better to your counterpart. It’s worth it – so 3, 2, 1 and go!

Sources used: psychologytoday.com, betterup.com

sas
Bridget