Listen First
Movement to mend our frayed social fabric by building relationships and bridging divides one conversation at a time.
What does Listen First mean?
- Listen First to understand rather than to reply
- Listen First before rejecting a conversation
- Listen First before dismissing alternative ideas
- Listen First before launching attacks
- Listen First to more effectively advocate your position
Top 10 Listening Tips
- Allow others the courtesy of silence while they are speaking.
- Maintain a calm and respectful tone when you are speaking.
- Come with an open mind, ready to learn and grow.
- Listen to others as you want them to listen to you.
- Listen to and consider others' views before sharing your own.
- Be present and curious rather than thinking of how to respond.
- Fully engage, free of distractions.
- Restate what you heard to clarify understanding, using "I" statements (“What I heard you say was” or “The way I understand your position is”).
- Ask thoughtful and respectful questions, free from judgement, assumption, or bias.
- Seek to discover common interests and areas of agreement by focusing more on why than what, more on personal experiences than positions.