How To Get Heard: Spend Time Listening
You can be the most brilliant person in the world. You can know everything. But unless you’re kind and generous, no one will listen to you.
We’ve all met the chronic advice-giver at a party. The person who knows a lot about something, and will give you advice on it, even if you didn’t ask.
Meanwhile, we’ve all met someone who listens well. The person who asks how you’re doing, takes time to listen to what you have going on, and isn’t condescending.
Which one of these people are you more likely to listen to?
The ironic thing is that if there was someone who literally knew everything, they wouldn’t need to spend any time listening to people. They would already know everything we would share with them. But we’re still more likely to listen to someone who spends time listening to us.
So here’s the deal: if you want to change people, you better spend a good amount of time listening to them. Understand their problems, their fears, their goals. Make them feel heard. The good news is that no one knows everything, so listening is better for everyone.
Good luck out there.
Please share this article with a friend.
Read more thoughts on communication here.
