One of the best and simplest, but definitely not easiest, ways to improve your life is to become a better listener. This is something we all struggle with. An old Marine friend of mine who had a million funny sayings used to say: “All we ever do is talk about me, my life, my problems, my opinions, let’s talk about you for a while. What do you think about me!?” Unfortunately for those who like to talk about themselves and to voice their opinions, it can be a difficult task to become a better listener. However being better at listening helps you:
- Become a better leader.
- Serve your customers better.
- Be a better friend or family member.
- Remember things better.
- Know what’s going on in the world around you better.
These are 3 skills I try to practice daily for being a good listener:
- Ask open-ended questions like “What do you think about …so and so?”
- Repeat back what people say to you in slightly different terminology so that they’ll know you’re listening and that you’ll digest it better.
- Turn off the distractions, like the phone or TV, when I’m with someone else.
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