Hey everyone and welcome to our throwback episode. In our throwback episodes, we are reintroducing you to some of our most popular episodes. This is great for new listeners who want to learn more about the work we've done in the past. And it's a great refresher if you've been a listener for a long time. Enjoy. So how about we start off by telling the audience a little bit about

yourself and what you do? Sure. So I worked as a college administrator for a number of years,

primarily around identity development. And actually, I would say, used negotiation skills

when trying to navigate under-resource,

underfunded offices, and reaching out to other offices or other organizations that had more

resources or more funding. I started my own speaking and consulting business, which now, 15 years

later, I'm an author, a speaker, etc., but I find

listening to be one of the most powerful skills that we don't even intentionally overlook. It's not

as sexy as the other ones, but it is by far one of the most powerful ones when negotiating

resources, relationships, difference,

identity, et cetera. I love this. This is good. And now I know for the audience, we don't really

need to sell them too much on the benefits of listening. I think those are pretty obvious,

but I think it might be more interesting to talk about why we are worse at listening

than we think we are. Well, largely it's because we think we already know the answers, right?

So one of the things that I talk about is there's a difference between hearing and listening,

and I think we've all heard that, but there's a difference between making a connection

and having a conversation.

And so I think the benevolence in us thinks that if we're just having a conversation,

then I say my piece and I wait my turn. Sometimes I don't wait my turn. But look, see,

we're successfully having a conversation. But it takes a lot of courage and vulnerability to actually make a connection with someone, whether you're going to see them again and again and again, or maybe that's the only time you're ever going to see them.

It's a very different thing.

It involves listening.

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