“Just listen” by Dr. Mark Goulston

Happy Saturday!

I spend hours putting these takeaways together and I honestly hope you learn something cool today too!

Before we get into today's book, a quick thanks to our sponsor…

The author 🖋

Mark Goulston was a renowned psychiatrist and a professor of psychiatry at UCLA for over 25 years, an executive coach, TV & radio personality and best-selling author.

His expertise on communication has made him a sought-after resource including training the FBI on hostage style negotiations.

He passed away in 2023.

Key takeaways 🎓

1. The power of listening

Paying close attention when someone is talking is probably the single most important thing in communication because it makes them listen back.

When we give someone our full attention, ask questions and show them that we care about their feelings, it fulfills a universal desire to be heard which in turn encourages people to open up and become more receptive to our ideas.

2. Make others feel important

If we want to connect better, we need to show people we value them and their ideas.

Goulston thinks we should always try to feel what the other person is feeling and even more importantly, show that we are trying to understand them.

Empathy helps us build trust which is a key factor to someone accepting our point of view.

3. Be gentle with your ideas

Instead of pushing our ideas, we should ask questions and listen to the other person's thoughts.

If we focus on the other person's perspectives and ask questions that encourage them to open up, we can really understand what’s important to them and cater our communication to that.

Closing thoughts 🧠

The book emphasizes the importance of listening as the first step to create an environment where people feel heard, understood and valued which makes them more receptive to our ideas.

To me it was an eye-opener because when you have something to say, you are so eager to say it that you actually forget to listen to what the other person is saying - and the same thing is probably happening to them too.

That’s a wrap!

I’d love to hear your thoughts or book suggestions - just hit reply, I write back to everyone :)

- Monty

P.S. Find this valuable & want to say thanks? I love drinking coffee ☕

P.P.S. Got invited by a friend?
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