Talking and Listening

It’s been said that you should listen twice as much as you talk, because you have two ears and one mouth.

It’s been said that you can’t learn while you’re talking. [This is demonstrably untrue – talking often becomes a means by which we hear ourselves and gain insights – but we can’t learn from others while we are talking.]

There’s leadership potential in both silence and with words. Leadership requires communication; communication does not require words.

Leadership requires communication; communication does not require words. Click To Tweet

Certainly leaders must listen and talk. I suggest that pursuing the “correct” ratio of talking and listening is a foolish waste of energy. Similar to standing on a slack rope, the talking and listening game is about dynamic balance and constant adjustment.

Think about rhythms of talking and listening rather than ratios. Sometimes you’re talking more, and other times you’re listening more.

The next question “With whom are you interacting?” God, your spouse, your direct reports, your boss, your larger team? The dynamic balance will be different for each. No formula, except to be conscious of including both talking and listening time.