In the course of being with others, listening is one of the most effective and life-affirming things that one can do for another. These slides are taken from a talk that I give on the life lessons that I have learned from working as a hospice volunteer at San Francisco's Laguna Honda Hospital. There, I practice my listening.

2. LISTENING

3. ~ Henry David Thoreau “ the greatest compliment that was paid to me was when someone asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer. ”

4. gestures & facial ( 55% ) expressions PERCEIVED MEANING tone, speech rate ( 38% ) rhythm & emphasis words ( 7% )

5. listening gives us an opportunity to see through another window . . .

6. . . . expanding our creative potential

7. ~ The Lost Art of Listening listening isn’t a need we have, it’s a gift we give

8. ~ The Lost Art of Listening the gift of our attention and understanding makes other people feel validated and valued

9. ~ The Lost Art of Listening “ the essence of good listening is empathy.”

10. ~ The Lost Art of Listening “ genuine listening means suspending memory, desire and judgment – and, for a few moments at least, existing for the other person. ”

11. choosing to see our conversation partners as equals is the mind set needed to be an effective listener ~ The Zen of Listening

13. silence honors your speaker

14. silence allows deeper thoughts

15. silence permits real issues to surface

16. listening teaches us to recognize our defensive reactions

17. listening teaches us to take charge of our responses

18. ~ The Lost Art of Listening “ we are most reactive to the things we secretly accuse ourselves of.” ~ The Lost Art of Listening

19. “ people won’t really listen to your point until they are convinced you’ve heard and appreciated theirs.” ~ The Lost Art of Listening

20. ~ The Lost Art of Listening “ remember: it isn’t so much what you say as how you say it that determines whether or not you get heard.”