Only 10% listen effectively. You are so distracted by the cacophony of dings and tweets from smartphones, not to mention your ever-growing to-do lists, that you struggle to focus and listen when people talk to you.

And if you are not distracted by technology, your own thoughts keep you from listening to another person.

You often think that you are listening but you are actually just considering how to jump in to tell your own story, offer advice, or make a judgment – in other words, you are not listening to understand, but rather to reply.

Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for your chance to respond.

The beauty of listening is that, those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves.

Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends.

When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new. – Dalai Lama

Silence is a greatly underestimated source of power. In silence, you can hear not only what is being said but also what is not being said.