An Old Arabic Proverb By William Shakespeare

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TIP 74
Listen More, Speak Less

“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
~Author Unknown

There 's an old Arabic proverb that says, "The smarter you get, the less you speak." Proverbs 29:11 says, "A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back." Proverbs 17:28 says, "Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent."
Have you ever been in a group of people and there 's that one person who just won 't shut up? You know the one I 'm talking about. He 's got an opinion about everything, and waxes eloquent about every topic under the sun. Doesn 't that drive you crazy?
Oh, you can 't think of anyone like that when you hang out with your friends? Hmmm…then maybe you 're "that person.”
Listen, there 's nothing wrong with being a gregarious person, nor is it bad to be chatty and conversational. Trust me, introverts like me rely on you to fill the awkward silences of life.
But are you absolutely sure you 're listening when people speak to you? If you find yourself dominating conversations, almost as if you 're holding court like a celebrity, maybe it 's time to think about walking back your output and concentrating more on the input.

Become an Active Listener
The next time you 're in a conversation or hanging out in a group, challenge yourself by asking, "Can I recall the last thing each person around me said?" I 'm not expecting you to know it verbatim, nor am I asking you to remember what the introvert of the group said ten minutes ago. Just make sure you 're keyed in and focusing enough on the people around you that you 're actively aware of their contributions to the conversation.
Re...

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...ife with whom you need to have a hard conversation? Perhaps you need to confront someone about a thorny issue, stage and intervention, or possibly even apologize for wronging them in the past. Take a page from my pastor for what he does when he finds himself needing to deal with hard situations and have tough conversations—he invites them over for tea (or coffee). We’re not talking about simply asking someone to meet you at a cafe or restaurant somewhere, but rather inviting them over to either the office or home and preparing tea or coffee as well as a light snack like coffee cake, chocolate, or whatever the other person likes. When you’ve taken the time to prepare food for the other person, it defuses much of the tension inherent in the moment. Serving the other person sets you up to be empathethic and gracious, while being served makes them feel welcomed in return.

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