Month 10.

Happy October guys! I don't know why, but October has always been my favourite month of the year. Anyway, I wanna start off this month with more listening tips. There are PLENTY on the web.

http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2010/03/03/10-ways-to-being-a-good-listener1/

1.  Make Eye Contact

2.  Be Present

3.  Give NO Sign You are Ready to Respond

4.  Wait Two Seconds to Respond

5.  Let Them Go First

6.  Care About What’s Being Said

7.  Listen For The Message Within The Message

8.  Don’t Change The Subject

9.  Respond By Asking Questions

10.  Don’t Start a Side Conversation

I personally think I'm a good listener, but after reading this article I found out that I do need improvement in some areas. Tips number 4 and 10 I find to be very important and useful. By waiting two seconds I can eliminate any overlapping speech by making sure that the person I'm speaking to has finished what their saying.

I also think it's very easy to start a side conversation , especially if you're not in the inner circle of that main conversation (if you're hanging out with a friends of a friend for example). You don't think you have the right to add anything to that particular conversation, as it does not concern you, so you start a mini conversation with someone else. Tip number ten reminds that although we might not be included in a conversation, it's still good to listen. Hey, maybe they'll want your opinion after all?

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” - Dale Carnegie