One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears - by listening to them.
- Dean Rusk

The spoken word belongs half to him who speaks, and half to him who listens.

- French Proverb

It takes a rare person to want to hear what he doesn't want to hear.
- Dick Cavett

The only time some people really listen is when they are the ones asking the questions.
- Angela Bright

Are you really listening... or are you just waiting for your turn to talk?"
- R. Montgomery

Many a man would rather you heard his story than granted his request.

People should talk less and draw more. Personally, I would like to renounce speech altogether and, like organic nature, communicate everything I have to say visually.
- Goethe

One of the hardest things to do in life is to listen without intent to reply.

It is all right to hold a conversation but you should let go of it now and then.
- Richard Armour

You have two ears and one mouth and you should use them in that proportion - listen twice as much as you talk.

You can judge a good listener by asking the talker at the end of the conversation what the listener's position is on the topic. If the talker doesn't know, then the listener has probably done a good job of listening.

ACTIVE LISTENING:
1. Seek to understand first and to be understood second
2. Match tempo and tone
3. Listen TO, not against. Evaluate, not value judge.
4. Watch for: What is NOT said
5. Read facial and body language
6. Restate in your own words
(It is NOT required that the listener AGREE with the other person)

Every person I work with knows something better than me. My job is to listen long enough to find it and use it.
- Jack Nichols

To find out what others are feeling, don't "prod" or "poke". If you want play with a turtle, you can't get it to come out of its shell by prodding and poking it with a stick, you might kill it. Be gentle not harsh, hard or forceful.

God gave us two ears but only one mouth. Some people say that's because he wanted us to spend twice as much time listening as talking. Others claim it's because he knew listening was twice as hard as talking.

Good listeners are not only popular everywhere but after awhile, they know something.

A LISTENING Chart:
When listening to presentations of others, use a fill-in chart that tracks the following:
Introduction: How did the speaker attract attention?
Quotes/Anecdotes/Analogies: Note and keep as appropriate
Resources: for additional information
Closing: How "clean" was the wrap-up?
Things to Avoid: How could the presentation have been improved?