“Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” Bernard Baruch

Talking is so much easier. When we are talking, we do not have to listen to the blah, blah, blah of people’s lives. We never get sucked into the vortex of people’s problems. There is no need to become vulnerable to our own inadequacies.

Worse still, when others are talking, we do not really listen. Instead, we think about what we want to say and we wait just long enough for the other person to draw breath so we can start talking.

Perhaps this is why people are more comfortable with talking.

The idea of today’s thought presents an interesting dichotomy because success is the outcome for those who do more listening. What is needed to help us become better listeners?

Remember, someone came to us because it was important and they trust us.

Remove distractions that prevent us from focusing on the other person.

Repeat what was heard to verify the accuracy of the message communicated.

These three steps will help make listening a successful adventure.