Power Listening

Listening is very important in communication, I want to share a very interesting quote from my favorite writer on communication skills: Dale Carnegie

"So if you aspire to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves and their accomplishments. Remember that the people you are talking to are a hundred times more interested in themselves and their wants and problems than they are in you and your problems. A person's toothache means more to that person than a famine in China which kills a million people.  Think of that the next time you start a conversation."

While communicating we are sending and receiving messages. But not all the messages sent are sure to be received %100. Depending on the attention of the listener, he may choose to receive 1,2 out of 5 or maybe all 5 of 5.

If we want to be a good listener, here are some guidelines to follow:

Power of Silence:
- Listen without judging, suspend the judgement
- Scan the environment for distractions
- If other person is speaking relentlessly, and not stopping keep this in mind: he is striving to fulfill his need to be heard, so make sure he realizes you've been listening by paraphrasing what he said.