Are you a listener or a talker?

Active listening, do you listen or talk?

Knowledge is power

A person who's talking is giving away information--often more than he or she intended. A person who's listening is receiving information. Who gets the best deal in that exchange?

You won't reveal anything you'll later regret

If you don't share a piece of information today, you can always share it tomorrow. Conversely, if you share a bit of information today, you can never take it back again. 

You won't say anything dumb

Abraham Lincoln said, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." 

You won't use up your material

Stories feel freshest and have the most impact when someone is hearing them for the first time. By saving yours for the right moment, you give them the most power.

The person who's doing the talking will feel understood and cared about.

Most people go through life wishing to have listened more. So by listening rather than talking, you are giving something valuable to the person who's speaking. Especially if you really are taking in what that person is saying and not thinking about something else. 

You may gain inside information

Very often, the other person will jump in to fill the silence with further information--sometimes something he or she had not planned to share. 

When you do speak, people will listen

Who do you listen to more closely--someone who never shuts up or someone who only speaks once in a while? As with anything else, the law of supply and demand holds: If you always share your opinions, no one will seek them out. If you only say what you're thinking on occasion or only make a point one time instead of over and over, your words are likely to have more weight.

It does not matter if you are a leader or not, being an active listener will grow your circle of influence and lead you to great things.