What to learn from being heard

To start off, I am a listener and observer. I like to watch situations, attitudes, and body language of people to grasp an understanding of what they’re really thinking. I do unconsciously really but it is very helpful in knowing the right things to say. One time in a group conversation with friends this semester, we were discussing academics and my program CARE, of course everyone had their own opinions about the organization and the true meaning it has on campus. Usually my responses are calculated and the least bias in the group. I was usually disregarded in conversation because although I state the facts, there’s just something about me that people disregard when in group conversations. I’m just the outsider, well that wasn’t the case today because I really wanted to be a part of this conversation. So I admit that I did lose my cool for a bit and became angry that my opinions were disregarded because of my personality, so I jumped into the conversation stood up and demanded attention on me. I addressed the issue, included both sides of the argument, and gave my honest opinion. When I realized what I had done and how aggressive I was, I just sat down and waited but I’m pretty sure everyone was too shocked to say anything else. I was told after that my points were all correct and mostly everyone agreed with the facts that I stated. It was nice to be heard for once and not disregarded. It was the one time that I truly felt like they actually listened, maybe from the shock but who knows, it was a wonderful feelings to have your opinions acknowledged. This incident has now allowed me to have more fluidity in the conversation and sometimes even my opinion is asked for about the situation. I am grateful I was able to experience it and now I can learn to be authoritative without being aggressive as this will be important for my future jobs. I also learned that this experience is an example of how we must all be more attentive in conversations and with a person’s opinion because everyone has something important to say and we must allow them to say it and take it into consideration before just throwing it out of the window. Being courteous to others is helpful and constructive. Everyone must be allowed to share. I also learned that most people will listen to a person who demands authority and that is how people gain support and charisma. Learning how to hone the skills of a leader will be very useful in life and can get you very far. That is why most political figure are authoritative and charismatic when they speak. My situation was a good experience because it helped progress me a little further in my studies about life and relationships. Conversation includes speaking, body language, expression, tone of voice, and determination to get your opinion out there. It was an experience that taught me a lot and helped me grow.