Listen before you speak. It’s such a simple task but something that is so hard to follow. Why is it so hard to follow? It’s because we all want to be heard. We all want others to hear what we have to say because we have an innate desire to be the center of attention and to be right if the matter is a decision to be made. From the time we are a small baby we are making sounds and drawing attention to ourselves.
We get so caught up in speaking so that we can be heard, that we forget to stop and listen. Our society has a message that we should speak up so we can be heard, this is true to an extent, but how many people do you hear speaking up that could have remained silent? Maybe that’s harsh, but silence while still focusing on a subject can produce something worth saying. The more thought, planning and even research that is put into something before you do it, in this case, speak, the better it will be.
How often have we spoken and said something when if we had just been quite for a few seconds later, we wouldn’t have even had to speak? Or how often have we opened our mouths and said something only to have to, figuratively, stick our foot in our mouths? We can probably think back to a couple of instances where this happened to us recently.
Think and listen before you speak, it’s something that doesn’t hurt anyone but can help everyone in the room where you are. Most importantly it’s a good habit to form, if you are always the last person to speak, people will listen because you are the one that barely speaks. We all know when there’s less of something that there is a demand for it. Be the person that everyone wants to hear speak because they know what comes out of your mouth will be thoughtful and wise.