Put Yourself In Their Shoes

If there is any great secret of success in life, it lies in the ability to put yourself in the other person's place and to see things from his point of view – as well as your own." ~ Henry Ford Seeing things through the eyes of someone else is a form of empathy. It is impossible to be a successful communicator if you are not willing to see things from another person's perspective. Two of the reasons many people fail in this regard is they think they know what the other person is thinking or they do not really care and are only concerned about what they want to say. If you want to be truly successful in your relationships and communication, you must become an emphatic listener. Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People states, "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." Covey goes on to say that when another speaks, we're usually "listening" at one of four levels: Ignoring the other person, not really listening at all. Pretending to listen, "Yeah. Uh-huh. Right." Selective Listening, hearing only certain parts of the conversation. Attentive Listening, paying attention and focusing energy on the words that are being said. Few of us practice the fifth level, the highest form of listening, Emphatic Listening. Emphatic listening is listening with the intent to understand by seeing the world the way they see the world. This type of listening is very unselfish and forces you to set your own feelings and opinions aside. People want to be heard and understood. You can become wildly successful or a dismal failure based on your ability to master this skill. Have a great week! Pierce