John Adair's 100 Greatest Ideas for Brilliant Communication

Idea 43: Reflective listening

Know how to listen, and you will profit even

from those who talk loudly.

Plutarch, Greek historian

Ask Questions

‘He who is afraid of asking is ashamed of learning’, says a Danish proverb. Ask not only information-seeking questions but reflective ones as well, such as: ‘Would it be true to say that you believe … ?’

Use prods and open-ended questions to draw people out, to encourage further exploration, to check facts and connections, to establish a way forward. Phrases beginning with ‘tell me’, ‘so’, ‘how’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘where’ and ‘why’ are more likely to get you somewhere than ‘I this’ and ‘I that’.

Weigh Your Evidence

Assertions that such and such is the case or is true should always be examined. Some assertions ...