Are You a Good Listener?

Two things came to my attention recently that made me pause for a moment and consider my listening skills.

One was a quote by Sir Winston Churchill:
"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

The other was this Management Tip of the Day from the Harvard Business Review (HBR):

For years, leadership experts have been encouraging managers to get better at listening (see this HBR article from 1957 for evidence). Good listening isn't just about making the speaker feel respected and heard; it's also about making sure you understand what's truly said.
Here are three tips for better listening:
Think ahead. Engage in the conversation by thinking ahead and anticipating what the speaker is going to say.
Try to see conclusions he will draw; don't just hear the words he's saying.
Review. Pause briefly and mentally summarize his points. Listen between the lines. Watch nonverbal cues that could indicate what the speaker isn't saying (facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice). Often what he is not saying is as important as what he is
saying.

Effective listening takes time and is a learned skill. How are your listening skills? I know I’m going to focus on mine!

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