Listening is not a simple skill !

Being a great listener can win you friends, improve your marriage, boost your business profits or advance your career. It can make people feel so good about being with you that they'll literally follow you anywhere.

As a physician and stress counsellor, I've got to listen to people every day. If I don't this well, I might make a wrong diagnosis, miss some important fact, or make people feel that I'm not really interested in their welfare.

And when we get home We have got the listen even more parents, brother&sister, friends, housband&wife,daughter&sun etc...  We'd think that with all the practice we get, and with all the attention this skill has received, we'd all be pretty good at it. But we know what? Most of us aren't. We're not very good listeners much of the time.

Contrary to what you may have been lead to believe, listening is an incredibly complex skill to master. There's so much going on that doesn't meet the eye, that it's silly to even try to cover the subject in just a few short pages.

So, even though our marriages and friendships depend very heavily upon good listening skills, and even though our customers, clients, and co-workers demand this from us constantly, most advice we receive about improving our listening isn't all that helpful. That's because most advice focuses on technical aspects of listening, such as giving feedback, making eye contact, asking open-ended questions, and not interrupting others while others are speaking.

These techniques are all fine and good....but they don't really get to the heart and soul of listening. And they don't usually empower us to become better listeners.

7 Keys to Better Listening

• Listening is NOT a passive activity!
• Listen for unspoken fears, concerns, moods, and aspirations.
• Good listening requires great wisdom.
• Listen to others with respect and validation.
• Listen without thinking about how you're going to respond.
• Listen for tell-tale signs of impending trouble.
• Listen with positive regard for people's strengths & abilities.

Seven keys to better listening that will win you friends, improve your marriage, boost your profits, and make people want to follow you anywhere. 

They are very difficult, good luck :)