In our society it becomes rarer that people talk to each other. It is even increasingly rarer that people actually listen to the person that is speaking. When was the last time that you were talking to someone and felt like the person was actually listening to you?
A great place to learn this is when you are at school. Instead of thinking about what you will eat later or dreaming about the weekend, give your time to the teacher. Listen to what they are explaining. You will receive more respect from your teacher, the studying and passing the exams will become easier.
Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking. – Bernard Baruch
Everyone knows how to talk, yet people seemingly have forgotten how to really listen to someone. You can become more influenceable if you learn how to listen to people, rather then talking more. You achieve much greater results if people notice how good of a listener you are. Give them the attention they deserve, show good eye contact and respond by listening to what they just said.
Don’t settle for a merely “listening” to the person that is front of you. Make it an actual decision to actively listen to them. Show them you are interested, summarize what you heard and ask questions about the things that are unclear to you. This way you will receive respect a lot easier than when you try to show that you understand everything without asking questions.
To become succesful in the activity or job that you perform, consider becoming better at listening. The best professionals are the ones who are great at listening. Likewise, the best bosses are the ones who actually listen to their employees and who act depending on what they heard, and the things that they understood in between the things that have been said.