Shakespeare on Business Communicating: To All Lend Thy Ear |
When I was in high school we were studying several Shakespeare plays, and every now and then I was struck by the poignancy of a given phrase.
One of them seemed to be a blending of Machiavelli and Dale Carnegie and it is still sage wisdom:
"To all lend thy ear, but few thy tongue."
I've never come across a pithier way of saying listening is more important than speaking.
And except for a very brief, and yes, shining moment in recent history, the laurels have gone to great speakers instead of to fine listeners.
At one point a large corporation, one of my consulting clients, declared in its advertising that "We understand the importance of listening." That same company resolved to train all of its associates in listening skills, and this launched a fad, for lack of a better term.
Listening became a topic in college catalogues, and other companies offered their own courses.
But then, seemingly as quickly as it burst onto the scene, listening faded as a topical area.
What happened?
"Prosperity" happened, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, best-selling author of 12 books and more than 700 articles, and consultant to the Fortune 1000.
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