Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
"Before I can walk in another's shoes, I must first remove my own." (Unknown) Habit five is where you perceive things from another's point of view before sharing your own, it is the key to communication. This is because every just wants to be respected and valued for their own uniqueness. However, there are many poor listening styles that we use such as spacing out, pretend listening, selective listening, word listening, and self-centered listening. Using our point of views, we use one of the three ways to reply: judging, advising, and probing. To seek to understand, then be understood, you must genuinely want to listen. First is listening with your, eyes, heart, and ears. Second is to stand in their own shoes. Then third, to practice mirroring. "Seeking first to understand requires consideration, but seeking to be understood requires courage." (Sean Covey)