“What is important is that one use one’s intellect and not be 100 percent sure about one’s convictions.” Shirin Ebadi

There are few needs of the human heart that are greater than the need to be heard, to be understood and respected for whom we are; to have someone actually hear what we are saying.

Often, though, in our state of busyness and the desire to win, many engage in a conversation without actually hearing what the other person saying.

Have you ever found yourself in an encounter when you are already preparing a response to the point the other person is trying to express even before they have finished speaking? I know I have.

You are nodding, smiling, but not really hearing. You are in too much of a hurry, too invested in your own point of view to even hear their’s.

It is only when you actually slow down and the other person realizes that you are listening, sincerely paying attention to what they have to say – that real communication begins.