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Real communication is 99% listening. And listening isn't easy. For the most part, we don't actually listen to people. Instead we listen to what we're thinking about what they're saying, we're second-guessing them, we're strategizing about what we're going to say next. To actually HEAR what someone is saying without adding any interpretation to it takes some practice, but it's THE key to communication.
In order to do that, you've got to give up your own agenda, and what you want to say or have happen. That act alone is usually enough to deal with the issue or "problem" that's there to communicate about.
We hardly ever truly step into another person's shoes and really get how the world is for them. But that's where magic can happen in communication.
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