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Two Ears One Mouth Use Them in That Proportion

by Sean North Business
Sean North Professional   Business
"Two ears one mouth use them in that proportion boy" These were words I heard every day from my housemaster Mr Hindwood at school. At the the time I hated that man and that saying and couldn't see the value of his words.
In fact it was 15 years later after coming out of the Marines that I truly grasped their meaning and they are one of the main ingredients of my success in my  7yrs of online and 30yrs of offline business.
Learning to listen and listening to learn is a skill that will serve you through gaining and devolping both business and personal relationships.
In todays world of online business I supose it should be two eyes one keyboard use them in that proportion

So do some listening and you will learn, grow and prosper
Thank you Mr Hindwood
Nov 17th 2010 06:16

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Comments

Cheryl Baumgartner Professional Premium   Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
That is a very wise saying in business. Listening allows us to learn our customers and their needs
Nov 17th 2010 06:58   
Andre Kalis Advanced   
A very valuable lesson for marketers and superbly written and presented.
Nov 17th 2010 14:39   
Paula van Dun Magnate II   Retired
I guess your MR Hindwood is no longer among us? I think he would like this post, as I do to. A valuable lesson.
Nov 17th 2010 15:51   
Philippe Moisan Magnate II   Tutorial videos, sci-fi writer
I heard Brian Tracy say the same thing on one of his speeches, Ihave a few on mp3s at home.

A good thing to post it here, Sean.
Nov 17th 2010 16:01   
Patsy j Payne Committed   konnektions konsultant
Another part of that concept is to hear what the person is saying. That means not forming your response while the other person is still talking. Use both ears, not splitting with one ear listening to the other person, the other listening to TV or something of that nature.
Nov 17th 2010 17:47   
Paula van Dun Magnate II   Retired
@Alamoshopper Very good point.That is why i prefer writing instead of Skype or phone calls. And that is also I prefer reading above watching some video. Especially when not in my native language. I can let it sink in. Some people write how they speak without any punctation. Sometimes I have to read it 3 or 4 times than.
Nov 17th 2010 17:54   
Joseph Botelho Magnate I   Investing One Gram at a Time
Yep only way to success is by using the one you have two of why l got involved in sales, listen then the sale is always much more easier.............good article Sean
Nov 17th 2010 18:02   
Philippe Moisan Magnate II   Tutorial videos, sci-fi writer
Skype is great for team chatting, Paula. I'm talking about typing messages on the keyboard kind of chatting. It's a great way to see the other people's ideas. Try it for yourself before concluding it's no good. You can have a username no one knows and give to a few people if you want. I almost never have voice conversations with it. I chat with Pj sometimes, well, not with Skype but Google Talk, it has allowed me to give her feedback on things, and vice versa.

PJ, I agree with Paula, you brought a very good point. I'm guilty of doing that very often, I mean, preparing my response while the other person hasn't even finished talking.
Nov 17th 2010 18:38   
Nnamdi A. Magnate III   Internet Marketer
Sean and Alamoshopper have said wise things very wisely. Listen and keep listening until your mate has had his say before you respond or you may miss something important.

Makes sense.
Nov 22nd 2010 12:35   
Patsy j Payne Committed   konnektions konsultant
I appreciate what you said @bronnamdi. I catch myself cutting my husband off. I am learning to listen, before I speak.
Nov 22nd 2010 12:42   
Paula van Dun Magnate II   Retired
@Philippe I never said Skype is not good, it is not for me at this time
Nov 22nd 2010 12:45   
Paula van Dun Magnate II   Retired
Another thought:

Learn to read between the lines

Learn to hear the unspoken word
Nov 22nd 2010 12:46   
Michelle Whitaker Advanced  Small business owner
Yeah, I was told to listen twice as much and talk less because I have two ears and one mouth. It is better to listen to what a person is saying before charging ahead to finish their sentence or to not get what they say because you are not listening to what they are saying.
Jan 15th 2011 12:31   
Marko S. Professional   Web Presence Provider
Thanks for sharing this advice.
Jan 15th 2011 13:17   
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