“Real listening is a willingness to be changed by what you are hearing”
Alan Alda
The first thing I would do is listen . . .
“. . .the first thing I would do is listen. I would try to understand why he had acted in that cruel way. I would try to understand all of the suffering that had led him to violence. It might not be easy to listen in that way, so I would have to remain calm and lucid. I would need several friends with me, who are strong in the practice of deep listening, listening without reacting, without judging and blaming. In this way, an atmosphere of support would be created for this person and those connected so that they could share completely, trust that they are really being heard.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Instead of listening . . .
“There are people who, instead of listening to what is being said to them, are already listening to what they are going to say themselves.”
Albert Guinon
To persuade people . . .
“The best way to persuade people is with your ears - by listening to them.”
Dean Rusk
The need to understand and be understood . . .
"The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them. "
Ralph Nichols
Listening and speaking from the heart . . .
"Deep listening from the heart is one half of true communication. Speaking from the heart is the other half."
Sara Paddison
No eyelids!
“The ear has no eyelids.”
Malcolm de Chazal
Genuine listening ability
“Genuine listening ability is one of the few true forms of competitive advantage.”
Feargal Quinn
The gift of listening . . .
"With the gift of listening comes the gift of healing."
Catherine de Hueck Doherty
Do your best to understand!
"When people talk to you, look them in the eyes and focus on what they're saying. Really listen. Do your best to understand what they are trying to say."
Richard Gephardt
A willingness to listen!
"Sensitivity to others is no trivial skill; rather, it is a truly precious human ability. But it isn't complex: it requires receptiveness to other people and a willingness to listen."
James Kouzes and Barry Posner
Listening is . . .
"After more than forty years in business, I've concluded that listening is the single most important on-the-job skill that a good manager can cultivate."
J.W.Marriott, Jr
Dialogue is...
“One of our strongest weapons is dialogue.”
Nelson Mandela
All resistance reflects . . .
"All resistance reflects an unmet need, and is a request for authentic communication."
Ken Cloke
Deep listening . . .
"Deep listening from the heart is one half of true communication. Speaking from the heart is the other half."
Sara Paddison
The biggest problem with communication . . .
“The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.”
George Bernard Shaw
If we were supposed to talk more . . .
“If we were supposed to talk more than we listen, we would have two mouths and one ear.”
Mark Twain
Leverage conflict rather than be leveled by it!
"The better able team members are to engage, speak, listen, hear, interpret, and respond constructively, the more likely their teams are to leverage conflict rather than be leveled by it”
Runde and Flanagan
When you need to say no . . .
“By saying yes when you need to say no, you cripple the most important relationship in your life: the relationship between you and you.”
Nea Joy
Seek first to understand . . .
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
Stephen R. Covey