2-Minute Soft Skill Drills — Learn to Listen

The Chinese character for listen, “TING”, captures the true nature of what it means to be present and intently listen to someone.

We don’t simply listen by only using our ears — that’s a necessary component, as illustrated in the Chinese character, “Ting”. You’ll see that under the ears in Ting is the character for “King”, or dominant one, thus signifying that hearing the words is the most important part, but that’s not all!

Listening with intent involves so much more. We listen with our mind and really try to process what is being said. With our eyes, we look, observe, and catch the unsaid gestures and body language. We are at one with the person speaking and give them our undivided attention. Our heart is in it as we listen with empathy and a true, inward desire to understand.

How amazing is that?

When you learn to listen this way, you no longer cloud your mind with what you want to say next. You’re present, in the moment, and the other person will notice. You’ll ask better questions, gain better insights, and walk away at the end of the conversation with a great understanding of their viewpoint.

Use this method as the catalyst by which you start listening more intently in your conversations and people will have a much better experience of you!