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.
Habit 5, Lesson 1: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood Summary: Habit 5 is about communicating with others. It is about seeking to understand others, and then to be understood. In communication it is important to listen first and talk second. The deepest need of human beings is to be understood.
If you’re like most people, you probably seek first to be understood; you want to get your point across. And in doing so, you may ignore the other person completely, pretend that you’re listening, selectively hear only certain parts of the conversation or attentively focus on only the words being said, but miss the meaning entirely.
So in reality this is a habit to be learned and practiced. Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. Stephen Covey believes this principle is the key to effective interpersonal communication. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. This habit is about communicating with others.