Implement a process called active listening. Repeat back to the speaker what you heard.If the speaker agrees that what you heard is what he or she intended to say, you can move on. If not, the speaker needs to reword their statement until the listener really does understand.

Repeat Back What You Heard

Ask more questions than you give answers.When you ask questions, you create a safe space for other people to give you an unvarnished truth.

Ask More Questions

Really listen to what someone else is trying to say.We need information that is disconfirming, not confirming.

Quiet Your Agenda

Listen from a place of curiosity, not generosity. True dialogue does not happen when we pretend to listen, and it certainly cannot happen if we are not listening at all.If you ever finish a conversation and learned nothing surprising, you weren’t truly listening.

Listen to Learn, Not to Be Polite

Pay attention to your talk/listen ratio.Strive for a 2:1 ratio of listening to talking.

Your Talk/Listen Ratio

Actually wait until someone is done talking before you respond.The most difficult component of listening effectively is waiting for a period at the end of a sentence before formulating a reply.

Wait until someone is done talking

Ever zone out while someone is talking? Of course. We all do. The average human has an eight-second attention span. With electronic distractions competing for your time and an abundance of responsibilities at work, it makes listening attentively to someone else speak pretty difficult.

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6 Ways To Become A Better Listener

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