The Secret for Uncovering Insight

Truly, it’s active listening. So it’s not so much a secret as it is a challenge.

It may sound simple, but in today’s world, where we’re constantly distracted by multi-media, expected to be champions at multitasking and required to answer emails and text messages within minutes, the once simple task of listening – attentive, undistracted listening – has become an art. It takes time and focus to listen. It takes stillness. But without listening, you’ll never get to the small underlying details, which are often the big insights.

Without listening first, you’ll never know what questions to ask next to really dig deeper. Who hasn’t walked into a meeting thinking he/she already has all the answers? We ask questions to confirm what we already assume is the answer. But you know…there is that saying that to assume just makes an “a__ out of u and me.” You have to remove yourself and your preconceived notions and assumptions from the situation and approach it with a neutral and objective mindset. This will allow you to listen and discover the true, meaningful answers, which reveal your insights.

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