The Art of Conversation: Change Your Life with Confident Communication

5Listening

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

– Winston Churchill

Most people worry more about what to say in conversation than about how well they listen. Yet much more than half the success of conversation is in listening. Eavesdropping on random conversations you might not think so, as you often hear just a sequence of anecdotes with little evidence of listening. But listening well is what moves a conversation forward organically and makes it satisfying for both those involved.

Writings from the past give the impression that we've never been very good at listening. “We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less”, admonished the Greek philosopher ...