How to Become a Better Negotiator, Second Edition

What is Listening?

A good listener hears, interprets, evaluates, and reacts.

The Challenger tragedy highlights one of the biggest problems present in any large or small organization: Few people practice effective listening techniques. Most of us assume we know what listening is. You heard your boss’s order, right? Well, hearing is only the first part of listening. When you physically pick up sound waves with your ears, you are hearing. But listening also involves interpreting what you hear. Then you must evaluate what you have heard, weigh the information, and decide how you’ll use it. Finally, on the basis of what you have heard and how you have evaluated the information, you react. So a good listener—and an able negotiator—hears, interprets, ...