Listen More Than You Talk

It is safe to say that listening is a lost art. It has been replaced by broadcasting, self-promotion and boosterism. Yet listening is one of the greatest skills any of us can develop and practice. If we listen deeply to one another, we can better understand people's needs and help them to work through their problems. We can have more informed conversations and be able to resolve our differences more effectively.

Our ability to listen can bring us closer to our partner, family, friends and colleagues. Listening deepens the bonds of friendship, opens lines of communication and enables us to give the best counsel possible to our friends and colleagues. For centuries, there have been numerous books written about listening, but listening is one of the most difficult skills to master because it requires patience and discipline. You may want to get your message across or move a conversation forward, but if you don't pause long enough to listen, you may not discover all that is important. And when you don't listen closely to others, they may not feel heard by you.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but when you listen more than you speak you will find that people will almost always talk about themselves and what matters to them most. They will tell you what they want and need. When you ask questions, you are not just finding out about them, but you are also displaying your genuine interest for who they are and what they have to offer. Our conversation with this person will be successful because when someone feels like we genuinely care about them, they want to help us and our goals. When we care about someone, there is more value in the relationship because we both feel like we have something to gain by working together on a project or task.

You might be thinking... "But I do care about people!" Well that's great, but simply telling a person that we care doesn't always lead to a successful conversation and collaboration. Sometimes it's best to just listen, then take a second to really look at the situation.

In today's society, it is easy to focus on ourselves and our aspirations. We spend a lot of time thinking about our lives, our careers, and our goals. We also spend time trying to improve our relationships. It's important to pay attention to ourselves, but we shouldn't forget to listen to others. It's easy for us to say what we do for others, but do we really know how they feel? It's important for us to really listen and understand their needs and the struggles they face.

What can you do to help others?

How are you helping someone in need today? How can you help someone who is going through a difficult situation? How can you help educate people?

Listening to others is an important way to help them. When we listen without interrupting and give them the support and encouragement that they need, we are truly helping them out. Listening also helps us understand people better and gives us a chance to reach out and gain new friends. Be a better listener and share your special talents with others, because it will make you a better person.

Listen. It's one of the most valuable skills you could ever learn. And yet it's one that gets overlooked. Listening is one of the best things a human being could possibly do, it improves your perception and understanding of the world around you and the people in it. Most importantly, listening makes you able to help those around you, which is something that everyone needs a bit more of these days.

In addition to being an art itself, listening is also incredibly useful for other things:

• You can learn more about the person you're talking to and therefore know better how to relate to them

• It shows that you are focusing on what they're saying and not thinking of something else

• It makes your conversation partner feel important—and they'll respond better to you

• It shows you're interested in what they have to say—which makes them want to tell you more

• You can pick up on ways they might be similar to you or different from you and then adjust your actions accordingly.

If we want people and society to improve, we need to start treating communication like an art and learning how to listen.