The Importance of Listening

To be truly open to the critiques of others, you must have developed the ability to listen. Listening is learning. Hear every voice that contains value to you. Don’t interrupt them, and don’t spend your time thinking of what you’re going to say next – actually listen to the points they’re making. Soak it in. It takes practice to fully lock in on someone and what they’re saying: practice and patience. 

We have to train ourselves to make listening a singular task, not something that's done while we're busy with something else. These days, we as Americans are so busy multitasking that our listening seems to be at an all-time low. We're reading emails while talking on the phone. We're texting someone while in the company of others. Here's irony for you. Amid the avalanche of new communication methods, truly productive two-way-conversation is becoming a lost art. If you can't make the time to listen to feedback, you're not going to get better. 

From "Rebound Rules" by Rick Pitino