Listening is the act of suspending judgment and being fully present with another person to truly understand their experience or perspective. It goes beyond hearing words to grasp deeper meaning, unspoken needs, and emotions, engaging both heart and mind. At the core of all healthy relationships, good listening is essential in every aspect of life—at home, at work, and in interactions with friends, partners, children, employees, customers, and colleagues. Strengthening this skill can transform relationships, making you more present and attuned, enhancing your influence and leadership. As you develop and apply this ability, you’ll foster deeper connections, achieve better results professionally, and experience more fulfilling personal relationships.

This lesson is an example of a son who comes to his father with a problem. In the first go-around, the father uses poor listening responses. In the second go-around, he does a nice job of listening. You learn, from this example, the power of good listening.

It is easy to respond to people in ways that are not helpful during listening. The purpose of this lesson is to point out some of the most common poor listening responses so you can be aware of them and, thereby, improve your ability to listen well.

In this lesson I’ll teach you the seven steps of good listening. By understanding these steps, you’ll be able to accurately hear the message of another and to create safe and trusting conditions in which others can open up and talk about their ideas and even deeper feelings and experience.

I hope and trust that you benefited from my free listening course! If you found this content valuable, there’s even more to explore. Check out my additional courses which I offer at incredibly low prices and many of which are “best-sellers” or “highest-rated” in their respective topics. Or take advantage of my exclusive offer on my recently published course on Communication.

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