More on Listening

“One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears.” Dean Rusk

People feeling significant and listening are inseparable. Listening and acting on the needs of others propels your career aspirations.

Listening is difficult. For one, the mind thinks twice as fast as a person speaks! Two, distractions are the norm in a 24/7 world filled with gadgets.

For effective listening:

• Be present. My trick is to silently repeat to myself what the speaker is saying as they say it.

• Allow others to complete their thought before speaking. Unfortunately, I have on more than one occasion solved the wrong issue by interrupting and attempting to solve the problem too quickly.

• Be aware of their tone and what is not being said by their body language.

• Asking questions and seeking clarification is critical, too.

What two actions can you take to become a better listener and win people’s hearts and minds? I know that the first two actions I took on the path of becoming a more effective listener were: one, stop interrupting and two, listening more than I speaking.

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