Stop Talking And Start Listening
Effective communication requires active listening. Listening is the ability to receive and interpret the information you just heard. Hearing and listening are not the same things. Listening requires focus and concentration; you must stop and listen and interpret what the other person is saying. You may not agree with what the other person is saying, so you might have to agree to disagree, but that’s better than ultimately devaluing what the other person has communicated. And you always want to clarify to ensure there are no misunderstandings. For example, you can say, “Let me make sure that I understand what …