When you sit down to beers with a friend, what is more important to you: hearing what your pal has to say or waiting until the right moment to interject your story? I’m guilty of the latter, but I get to blame it on having to ask questions for a living. OK so maybe that’s a terrible excuse, but it illustrates a point about all of us — we’re poor communicators. And in a world where getting through to people can be the difference between success and failure, it pays to listen up.
Dr. Mark Goulston trains hostage negotiators and is a leading clinical psychiatrist. His latest book, Just Listen provides anecdotes that serve his point: we could all do better for ourselves and those we interact with by taking a deep breath and opening our ears. Goulston quotes British psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion, who said “the purest form of listening is to listen without memory or desire.” Think about that before starting your day, and let us know how your Friday turns out.
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