Hands down, 聽 is the most beautiful Chinese character I’ve ever seen.
You read it as ‘tīng’ with a flat intonation, and it means ‘listen’.
聽 captures the essence of listening and even teaches you how to listen.
The part 耳 on the left side represents ‘ear.’
Obviously, you listen with your ears.
十 means ‘ten' and sits on 目, which represents ‘eye.’
It tells you that listening with your ears alone isn’t enough.
To truly understand, you need to look at the person as if you had ten eyes.
Next, a horizontal line 一 means ‘one.’
This reminds you to focus on the person speaking to you and give them your undivided attention.
Let me pause here and say that again.
Undivided attention.
That’s the power of 一.
心 at the bottom means ‘heart.’
Well, because listening with your heart allows you to connect with the person on an emotional level, not just rationally.
Finally, there’s 王.
It’s one of those symbols you learn among the first when you get crazy enough to study Chinese.
It’s so important you can see it on the tiger's forehead. (No kidding, Google “tiger’s forehead.”)
In Asia, the tiger is revered as the king of the beasts and the four stripes on his forehead form this symbol that means 'king'.
So, 聽 means you have to listen with your ears, eyes, and heart and treat the person as if they were a king.
When you learn to listen this way, you don’t cloud your mind with what you want to say next.
You’re present, in the moment, and the other person will notice.
Next time you're on a client call, try it.
It’s easy.
Ask a lot and then listen.
Don’t come with pre-baked solutions; don’t assume.
That’s what amateurs do.
Experts diagnose.
Show empathy, and respect, and help the client think.
You’ve got to understand her lens, point of view, beliefs, value system, and how she’s going to judge success.
When you demonstrate understanding, she’ll think, "This person cares."
Just like a therapist, care more about what she wants than what you want.
Be an advocate for her.
When you’re tempted to answer or cut her off, count to five.
Get comfortable with silence so you only speak when you have something important to say.
That’s the lesson Keanu Reeves taught me.
You’re not smart by talking a lot.
You’re not impactful by increasing your speech volume or trying to be important.
You’re smart when you let others talk first, when you listen with intention.
It’s about practising saying less and leading with empathy.
When you stop selling, you start closing more deals.
It’s paradoxical but true.
If you had to choose among five vendors—one who sold, one who pitched, one who cut you off, one who guessed, and one who listened—who would you choose?
The one who listened.
Because listening is not just about hearing words; it's about making every word matter.
And that's where the magic happens.
I believe there's nobility in the act of listening.
It's a humble thing, yet it speaks volumes about who we are and how we navigate the world.
Because how you do one thing is how you do everything.
PS. Do you struggle to set yourself apart from your competitors? Does your tone of voice lack a little personality? Either way, get in touch and I’ll help you become remarkable. Or get more communication advice that doesn't suck here.
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