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"You are not listening to me." "Yes I am. I've heard every word you said." How often do you genuinely listen when you are having a conversation--I mean fully listen to what is being said, rather then just hear the words? Most of us are lucky to be born with the innate ability to hear, but listening takes more effort and focus. In our busy worlds, there are few times when people truly listen to us. And yet we all know the difference between hearing a spoken word and actively listening; you can feel it when someone is listening to you. Apart from the obvious business benefits of fully comprehending the content of what your boss, employees, colleagues, partners and customers have to say, listening can transform business relationships. When people turn on their minds to listen, it builds rapport, trust and understanding with the speaker and strengthens relationships. Better relationships lead to improvements in productivity and work quality. One reason people do not listen well is because our minds are much faster than the pace of the spoken word. Generally, we speak about 120 words per minute, but our minds can race at 500-800 words per minute. As a consequence, we tend to hear the words, think we get the message and then use our spare mental capacity to think of other things beyond what is being said. When someone is speaking to you, what do you do with the spare capacity in your mind? Below are the top ten listening skills that, when mastered, can have a dramatic impact on your relationships and understanding of your business.
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