Listening is more important than you may think. Not only does it improve interpersonal relationships with your friends, family, significant other and colleagues, but it can also boost your leadership skills, maximise productivity and make you more knowledgable in general.
Here are our top 4 reasons why you just need to shut up and listen:
1. Knowledge is power
You’ve heard this famous saying before. And it’s true. The one way that you can truly continue to learn throughout life is by keeping an open mind, and open ears. If you’re too busy telling others how to do things and not taking the time to really listen to others, it’s going to halt your ability to learn and absorb new, exciting information. Learning new things keeps life interesting, and it never has to stop. Taking the time of day to listen to everybody, regardless of their level of experience, will introduce you to a whole knew wealth of knowledge. Whether it’s the CEO of a large corporate brand, the receptionist of the office building or a pre-grad intern, it doesn’t matter – you have something to learn from everyone.
2. People will listen
If you’re a nonstop gabbler who talks for what seems like hours, people will zone out and fail to truly take on board anything you say. People are more likely to genuinely listen to someone who speaks less, rather than more. Think of it as a quality over quantity thing. This isn’t to say you should be a mouse in the corner of every meeting, networking event or office conversation, it just means you should make sure everything you say is of value. Don’t talk for the sake of talking.
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