How Remote Relationship is Affected By These 5 Listening Styles

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When building better relationships remotely, one needs to consider the advantages of using different devices to stay connected to their co-workers, associates, partner, or friend. You can use texting, video, and voice chats to convey your messages and thoughts appropriately.

Your remote relationship can significantly expand with the use of Skype and Zoom as a relationship tool in communicating visually to share beyond audible communication. By making yourself accessible to the other person in the relationship with the use of virtual communication, it is helpful to utilize this as often as possible.

There are several advantages to developing a personal and intimate remote relationship. Even when you cannot be together in the same location, do not allow it to hinder your relationship. A remote relationship can be beneficial by spending time with someone virtually.

Individuals that are having remote relationships can often show signs of anxiety and stress in the relationship. Building personal relationships remotely should be based purely on love, being in love, honesty, faithfulness, trust, and total commitment.

Distance and separation without foundation can easily cause and invite emotional affairs to develop, due to boredom, loneliness, and the perception that a date, an opportunity, a phone call, or event is “innocent, “which is usually the birth of such an affair.

So, how to make long-distance work?

When engaging in a remote relationship, clear boundaries need to be established. Even though you are apart in your relationship, you are not given a free pass to seek outside stimulation or pleasure from another person who may be physically present.

Remember that you have made a commitment regardless if it is remote or not.

The relationship needs constant reviewing of the styles of communication that is reflected in the relationship.

There are other benefits to increasing your communication that can be done by resolving your conflicts, acknowledging your triggers, learning to listen with compassion, establish and increase trust, preventing misunderstanding from escalating.

Many relationships lack good listening skills because one or both partners may interrupt one another from expressing their needs.

Because the relationship is long-distance, it is important that the parties involved understand the value of long-distance relationship communication and, primarily, the importance of effective listening. There are different types of listeners, which again is a valuable and important tool in building a relationship depending on remote communication.

Listed below are several tips for long-distance relationship listening styles to help individuals to strengthen a remote relationship.

1. The selective listener

An old saying states, “What you see is what you get” that the selective listener. They only want to hear what is interesting to them.

2. The selfish listener

This listener only wants to hear what will benefit them.

3. The catering listener

This person will listen attentively and may respond just to please you. They have no real interest in what you are saying and probably do not care whether it is true or valid. Their only interest is to please you.

4. The inactive listener

This listener is most difficult for the one speaking. Most times, the listener hears the words but allows them to go in one ear and immediately out of the other.

Commonly, the inactive listener is far away in thought, mind in another place, daydreaming, and thinking about something else. This listener is not really listening. They are not mentally present. They may be just waiting for their turn to speak.

5. The active listener

Active listening skills mean the individual will listen to every word. They will take in your message and you will find them listening to you attentively.

They often show signs of response either physically or verbally and reassure you that they are listening. An active listener will also be the first person to give you verbal assurance and feedback to engage themselves and let you know that they understand or want to understand.

In the TEDx video below, Ronnie Polaneczky explains the true meaning of deliberate listening. She says we all want to be heard and feel welcomed. It is important to listen with compassion and without judgment.

She carried out various communication exercises in real life with people, and she shares her interesting anecdotes below:

Never underestimate the building power of communication in a remote relationship. The foundation and the building blocks for a distance depending upon a remote relationship are honesty, respect, trust, love, and communication.

Without any of these components, your relationship will be one of continual suspicion and doubt. For a successful remote relationship, remember to stay in touch, work diligently on your relationship, be aware of one another’s emotional needs, and make plans to see each other occasionally.