When people talk, do you listen to respond or understand? If your focus is on responding, you will miss out on a lot of valuable information.

You might miss a juicy insight or a burning question. Someone might be upset or ready to quit. How do you expect to hear any of these things when you are not fully listening?

You first need to be comfortable with silence if you want to be a better listener. It is amazing what you can hear in the silence. You will also have time to think about your response in the silence.

To teach myself to be comfortable in silence, I would silently and slowly count to ten before talking. With time, the silence started to feel normal, and I no longer have to count.

Silence is a beautiful thing.

You’ve got this.