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Don’t Be Penelope — Five Magic Words to Help Become A Better Listener
“The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.”
– Stephen Covey
Interested in becoming a better listener?
Here are five magic words that might help: It Is Not About You.
Oh! Can you imagine?
Have you ever seen the Saturday Night Live sketch (Sept 2013, 5 min) with Taylor Swift and Kristen Wiig?
It is pretty funny. It is also spot-on…in terms of some people’s ability to make every situation, regardless of the circumstances, about them.
As much as I laughed while watching the skit, I couldn’t help but see myself — and many other people I know — in Penelope. Sure, we may not be quite so over the top
in our efforts to be brilliant (but manipulative) participants in a conversation, but I think that’s what good comedy can do: it takes our human foibles to the extreme, so that we are better able to see where we could…you know, improve upon things a little.
Such as our listening skills.
It is my observation that good listeners can be very difficult to find in today’s world…possibly because BEING a…
