If there’s one thing I hate, it’s poor listening skills. The subtle slap in the face when talking with someone. You know who this is!

It’s the person who asks you a questions just to hear themselves ask the question. It’s the person who never understands what you say. It’s the person who has a blank stare when you talk to them.

Effective communication is simple, real simple.

It’s the art of listening.

When you first listen, then all of the other tips on how to effectively communicative apply. If you don’t listen first, then everything else means nothing.

Here’s some quick tips to get you going:

• Clean your ears.
• Truly hear what the person is saying.
• Don’t self talk, listen, you can formulate what you want to say after they’re done.
• Look the other person in the eyes. Yes, the eyes.
• Ask clarifying questions if you need more details or don’t understand.
• Summarize their points starting with “So what your saying is…” then counter or converse.

It’s really not that hard.  It takes practice and effort. If you’re use to always wanting to hear yourself talk, it’ll take more practice.

Focus in hearing what the other person is saying and become a much better communicator.