At HIP we believe in working on our Social Fitness through daily workouts. Just as a person exercises to condition their muscles and develop muscle memory, a person can do regular Social Fitness workouts to prepare themselves to act courageously, wisely, and compassionately in challenging social situations.

Similar to an exercise routine, the weekly challenges will cover strengthening and flexibility exercises such as practicing courageous conversations across a variety of social situations, taking the perspective of others, showing appreciation, and expressing gratitude.

We would love to hear about your experience in carrying out the challenge. Post your comments below.

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Weekly Social Fitness Challenge #14

Listen carefully to someone without trying to solve his/her problem.

When someone comes to you with a problem or complaint, offer them a listening ear. To practice active listen you should 1) look into the speaker’s eyes, 2) tell her what you hear in your own words–as much as you can, put yourself in her shoes, 3) clarify by asking questions to ensure you understand the person fully, the whole picture, the points being made, and the meaning to the person, and 4) ask the speaker if she wants advice. If she accepts your offer for advice, then begin to reflect on the advice you would like to give her.

When you are thinking about what you are going to say to a person before he is finished speaking, you are going to miss significant information about his story. More importantly, people don’t always want advice. Sometimes all a person needs is someone to listen.

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Learn more about Social Fitness and our Weekly Challenge by clicking here.

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