Thursday 23 April 2009

(Empathic) Communication

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

"Diagnose before you prescribe."

"Empathic listening is also risky. It takes a great deal of security to go into a deep listening experience because you open yourself up to be influenced. You become vulnerable. It's a paradox, in a sense, because in order to have influence, you have to be influenced. That means you have to really understand."

"It may take a little more time initially but it saves so much time downstream."

(Source: 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People')

Listen with the ears, the eyes and the heart,
for feeling, for meaning, for behaviour.
Sense. Intuit. Feel.
Afford "psychological air".
Understand. Affirm. Validate. Appreciate.

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