Why you should talk less and listen more has numerous advantages. But first, how much listening do you do on an average day, and how much talking? Listening is all about focusing on what the other person is saying and not interrupting with your “brilliant idea.”
Most people treat conversations like a competitive sport, in which the person who says the most, persuades others of an opinion, makes the cleverest point, or even speaks the loudest and longest is the winner. All of us find ourselves speechifying, interrupting, coming up with witticisms, and insisting, all to display our superior knowledge or support our point of view.
If you think about it for a second, in most conversation, the person who speaks the most benefits least and the person who speaks least benefits most.
Listening and speaking in a balanced way is imperative in our world. The noise of meaningless words that many people are throwing away in an attempt to gain someone else’s attention creates a blockage that makes it really difficult to understand each other. One of the best ways to communicate is to talk less and listen more.
We have listed several reasons why an individual should talk less and listen more, and they include:
Knowledge is power
An important reason why an individual should talk less and listen more is to gain knowledge. A person who listens to others receives more information while the person who talks is always giving out information.
You won’t reveal anything private unknowingly
After sharing a private piece of information, it impossible to take it back. It is best to keep your thought to yourself and sort what to say at the right moment. Regrets come after revealing private information, so to avoid that, it is best you talk less and listen more. This will give a better chance of watching what you say.
You won’t say anything dumb
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” The advice is not suggesting you remain silent all the time, but it is best to have sufficient information before speaking. This makes you look less intelligent but will minimize the chances of you saying anything dumb.
The person doing the talking will feel cared about and understood
Most people experience hardship in life and wish to be listened to more. Rather than talking, it is best to listen because you would be giving something valuable to the person talking. Especially if you are focused on what the person is saying and not distracted by something else, you will have created a relationship or bond with the speaker. The person will feel validated and understood. It is a powerful tool in building relationships.
When you do speak, people will listen
Who do you listen to more closely – Someone who only speaks once in a while or someone who never shuts up? If an individual constantly shares their thought and opinions, no one will seek them out. If an individual only makes a point one time instead of repeating meaningless words or only say what you are thinking on occasion, his or her words are likely to have more value.
Listen before jumping to conclusions
Our current “need for speed” world often forces us to simplify our conversation, to the point they become meaningless. Based on a few sentences or just a few words, we occasionally create a perspective on someone or something, which may be inaccurate or not even related to the topic. This occurs because we didn’t take our time to listen.
Listening does not completely mean giving the other person time to finish his speech, but also pick a few points from his speech or borrow his perspective. Listening helps individuals see things from other people’s perspective.
To be clear, it is not best you keep your opinions and thought to yourself all the time. You should share them but not every time, it better you listen, especially if you have a leadership role because leaders do more listening than talking. If you talk less and listen more to the person you are speaking to will feel bonded with you and also understood. After listening for some time, when you actually speak, the person or your audience will listen more closely because they know your opinions and thought are going to be meaningful and might have an impact in their life.
Source(s)
7 Smart Reasons You Should Talk Less and Listen More – inc
After I Read This, I Started to Speak Less and Listen More… – lifehack
