In Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the fifth habit is to “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”This applies to marriages, friends, neighbors, co-workers and every person we have relationships with. I was listening recently to the Tony Robbins Power Talk where he interviewed Stephen Covey and discussed his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood- Covey explains that communication is the most important skill in life. There are four basic types of communication which are reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Listening to what others say is the most important factor in good communication. To become effective we need to listen.
The first habit is Be Proactive, second is Begin with the End In Mind, next is Put First Things First, fourth is Think Win-Win. Then there is the fifth habit, Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, sixth is Synergize, and lastly the seventh habit is Sharpen the Saw. I learned to listen and pay attention to the person speaking. That.
This effort, described in Habit 5 as “Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood” works to explain to the reader that effective people listen more than talk. Hence humans were created with two ears and only one mouth, right? Covey sets out the principles and defines under the act of ignoring, pretending, selective, attentive and.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood Listen Before you Talk. Listening is a skill that requires practice. This habit focuses on seeking to really understand what others have to say first before formulating our own answers. Instead of listening with the intent to answer, habit five encourages empathic listening. Empathic listening involves seeing things from the other.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. Covey says that communication is the most important skill in life. And we are all heavily under-trained in listening. Indeed, very few people even listen at all. Which is a pity, because the foundation of influencing people is to first understanding people.