For courses on Business Communication, Leadership, Management, Speech Communication, Interpersonal or Relationship Skills. Short and easy to read--yet substantive--this practical, learner-centered handbook was written by an experienced communicator who has taught thousands of corporate managers, military officers, and college students how to become better listeners. Unlike other texts on listening--which are either too long on theory or too short on substance--it teaches theoretically-based and acknowledged techniques--thoughts, attitudes, and skills--necessary for becoming a better listener. A variety of interesting, engaging, interactive, and sometimes humorous examples and exercises keep students personally involved with the content.

Do you want to improve your relationships and productivity, all by simply changing your listening habits? Listening is the forgotten communication skill, but arguably, the most significant. It is a crucial part of our ability to engage and communicate with others. Listening actively, however, takes this skillset up a level. Almost everyone sincerely believes that they listen effectively; however, good listening skills are rare. Most of us have never been taught the habits that would make us effective listeners, so they need to be practiced and developed. As you develop your listening with purpose, understanding and empathy, you will build better trust and stronger relationships. You already understand the importance of quality communication. But good communication is built not on speaking but on listening. When we learn to actively listen-to listen well-this ability resonates through all our relationships and interactions. Research has found that by listening actively, you will obtain more information, increase others' trust in you, reduce conflict, and better understand the message being delivered. In 10 easy steps, you can go from being a poor listener to an excellent one. At each step, you'll learn how to navigate the pitfalls of strained communication, transforming your ability to exchange accurate, complete information and deepen emotional understanding and connectedness. You'll discover 10 easy-to-learn steps to becoming a better listener, with practical examples of do's and don'ts. These strategies will teach you how to: Focus your attention Listen with purpose and empathy Improve as a leader Develop healthier relationships Each chapter in this book will teach you about a vital component of active listening. While listening sounds simple, it's anything but. Listening well, listening deeply, is an interconnected, complex process. But the result is well worth the effort, equipping you to undo the damage to your relationships inflicted by shallow or dismissive listening. Are you ready to take the leap and completely change your listening? If you're prepared to be amazed by the improvement in your personal productivity and interpersonal relationships, start reading!

From the author of the bestselling How to Read a Book comes a comprehensive and practical guide for learning how to speak and listen more effectively. With over half a million copies in print of his “living classic” How to Read a Book in print, intellectual, philosopher, and academic Mortimer J. Adler set out to write an accompanying volume on speaking and listening, offering the impressive depth of knowledge and accessible panache that distinguished his first book. In How to Speak How to Listen, Adler explains the fundamental principles of communicating through speech, with sections on such specialized presentations as the sales talk, the lecture, and question-and-answer sessions and advice on effective listening and learning by discussion.

A friendly guide that teaches you effective methods of communication to avoid common conflicts and make your voice heard in the office Communicating Effectively For Dummies shows you how to get your point across at work and interact productively with bosses and coworkers. Applying your knowledge and skill to your job is the easy part; working well with others is often the hard part. This helpful guide lets you maximize your personal interactions, even when resolving conflicts, dealing with customers, or giving difficult presentations. Whether you're the CEO of a major corporation, a small business owner, or a team manager, effective and clear communication is imperative to your success. From keeping your listener engaged to learning to become a better listener, Communicating Effectively For Dummies offers all the strategies, tips, and advice you need to: Learn how to become an active listener Accentuate the positive in negative situations Find win-win solutions for conflicts Stay on track when writing e-mails and letters Handle presentations, interviews, and other challenges Speak forcefully and assertively without alienating others This friendly and comprehensive guide gives you the keys to a thriving career with expert advice on effective verbal and nonverbal communication. From mastering your own facial expressions (and reading them in others) to being a happy boss, this book covers all the angles: Becoming aware of your own assumptions Dealing with passive-aggressive communicators What to say to help someone open up to you Communicating through eye contact and body language Maintaining a positive attitude Dealing with sensitive issues Effective conflict resolution models When to use e-mail, the phone, or a face-to-face meeting Dealing with angry customers Coaching your staff to communicate better In today's high-stress work environment, good communication skills are imperative for keeping your cool and getting your point across. With your own copy of Communicating Effectively For Dummies, you'll know what to say, how to say it, and that being a good listener can often be the difference between getting ahead and just getting by.

Discover the essential thinking tools you’ve been missing with The Great Mental Models series by Shane Parrish, New York Times bestselling author and the mind behind the acclaimed Farnam Street blog and “The Knowledge Project” podcast. This first book in the series is your guide to learning the crucial thinking tools nobody ever taught you. Time and time again, great thinkers such as Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett have credited their success to mental models–representations of how something works that can scale onto other fields. Mastering a small number of mental models enables you to rapidly grasp new information, identify patterns others miss, and avoid the common mistakes that hold people back. The Great Mental Models: Volume 1, General Thinking Concepts shows you how making a few tiny changes in the way you think can deliver big results. Drawing on examples from history, business, art, and science, this book details nine of the most versatile, all-purpose mental models you can use right away to improve your decision making and productivity. This book will teach you how to: Avoid blind spots when looking at problems. Find non-obvious solutions. Anticipate and achieve desired outcomes. Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses, … and more. The Great Mental Models series demystifies once elusive concepts and illuminates rich knowledge that traditional education overlooks. This series is the most comprehensive and accessible guide on using mental models to better understand our world, solve problems, and gain an advantage.

Over 55% of your day is spent listening; yet only 2% of us have been trained in how to listen. What is poor listening costing you? Do you rush from meeting to meeting, your head buried in the last conversation you had, without time to think of the next? Or feel frustrated with unproductive discussions where the loudest in the room adds limited insight and drowns out everyone else? We usually think of these situations as communication problems; that we have not spoken our needs correctly or clearly. Yet, conflict, chaos and confusion are the costs of not listening. Many communication and listening books say the most important person in a conversation is the speaker - not true! This pocket-sized guide will help you to reconnect with your innate gift of deep listening, to create the right space to listen to yourself before you listen to others. You'll learn to listen beyond the words that are spoken, to add context and meaning and listen in to what's not being said. Deep Listening will help you move from confusion and conflict to thoughtful, insightful and powerful discussions that will transform not just your work, but your whole life.

Explains what the communication gap is, looks at the major barriers to effective communication, and focuses on techniques for better listening and speaking

Communicating Effectively: Tools for Educational Leaders,second edition, provides a unique perspective for aspiring and practicing educational leaders to expand their problem-solving and conflict-resolution strategies. Starting with an exploration of listening problems and solutions, this book evolves into an examination of how people perceive reality, what motivates them, and what happens when their needs are not met. The concepts of Process Communication, developed by clinical psychologist Taibi Kahler through his background in transactional analysis, provide the basis for the techniques from which educational leaders might choose. Communicating Effectively suggests new ways to understand the people with whom we interact, first by listening and then by understanding what our perceptions, channels, and motivation. Likewise, Michael Gilbert presents examples of problems and positive suggestions to intervene when communication is not effective.

Listening takes an experiential approach to listening instruction, providing extensive applications and cases within the context of a sound theoretical framework. The text encourages students to view listening as a process involving six interrelated components which are developed along the parallel dimensions of theory and skill building. Within the unifying theoretical framework of the HURIER model, students develop an understanding of the listening process and gain powerful listening skills. The fifth edition continues to explore the impact of culture, technology, and globalization, and raises timely ethical questions to promote students’ consideration of the responsibilities associated with listening in today’s complex world. Self-assessment, activities, and case studies further distinguish this engaging text. Students will readily recognize the important role listening plays in helping them achieve their personal and professional goals while they become more engaged and informed citizens.