It’s easy to forget that listening is precisely what makes communication possible, writes Eric Fletcher in This Is Where Communication Begins. Because we want most of all to be heard, to deliver our message. That’s not communicating, though. That’s delivering a message, and then mistaking the delivery itself for communication. But it’s listening that leads to connections and understanding:

“It is a counter-intuitive discipline that works exactly opposite of our practice. As opposed to being worried about what we should say, listening actually informs and gives shape to messaging that connects.”

Read the post. Stop talking. Start listening. And then you can begin to truly communicate.