1. Art of Listening
H. Menchine

2. Emotions Running High We elected a new US President last week
Emotions on both sides are running high
Some are ecstatic
Others are in various stages of grief
Social media and the internet is fueling anger
One-sided, superficial comments on both sides are preventing real communication

3. “He’s disgusting” – said the Hillary supporter
“She’s disgusting” – said the Trump supporter
RACIST!
CRIMINAL!
NOT MY PRESIDENT!
SORE LOSER!

4. “Seek first to understand, then to be understood”
Stephen Covey

5. Now’s the time to Listen
Personally, I am still trying to make sense of everything.
Complex problems require deep thinking.
I’ve made a personal decision this week to:
Manage my emotions in a healthy way
Limit my contact with social media and internet.
Limit any knee-jerk reactions to make assumptions about people
Remain open-minded
Seek to learn more and understand opposing views
Truly try to listen and see things from another lens

6. 10 Tips for Conversations
Helpful advice anytime and especially during the holidays
TED talk entitled “10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation”
NPR radio talk show host Celeste Headlee

7. Tip 1 – Don’t Multitask Be present and in the moment
Truly be part of a conversation
Try not to be distracted by other things when conversing

8. Tip 2 – Don’t be a “know it all”
NOBODY likes a know-it-all
Instead assume you have something to learn
Bill Nye, the Science Guy once said:
“Everyone you will ever meet knows something that you don’t”

9. Tip 3- Use open ended questions
Instead of getting a simple yes or no response
You tend to get more interesting answers ?

10. Tip 4 – Go with the Flow
Sometimes thoughts come to you … try to let it go
When you interrupt someone, it usually means you stopped listening

11. Tip 5 – Admit you don’t know
Err on the side of caution
It’s OK to not to know everything
See Tip 2

12. Tip 6- Don’t equate your experience with theirs
All experiences are individual
When someone is sharing an experience with you, remember it’s not about you
For example, when they talk about losing a family member, you don’t have to interrupt to talk about how you lost a family member too

13. Tip 7 – Try not to repeat yourself
Rephrasing same thing over and over is boring

14. Tip 8 – Stay out of the Weeds
People don’t care about the exact dates and little details when you are struggling to remember

15. Tip 9 – Listening is the most important skill you can develop
Stephen Covey said “Most of us don’t listen with the intent to understand. We listen with the intent to reply.”
If you can’t listen, then it’s not a conversation
Kind of like social media

16. Tip 10 – Be Brief
Self explanatory

17. Listening is key to better conversations
Our divided nation needs to figure out how to listen to each other and have more constructive conversations
I’m ready to become a better a listener.
I hope our entire nation and elected officials are ready too.