Well, it seems I have made a habit out of writing about my weaknesses. Listening is a skill I have yet to perfect (if that comes from being an extrovert or simply being talkative, I’m not sure). Nonetheless, I can still provide some insights on its importance (perhaps even more than others, since I know what happens if you do not possess this particular skill).
No one learns from speaking.
You already know all that leaves your mouth. What’s new are the answers and responses you receive. If you don’t listen to those responses, you have not gained any value from the conversation. On top of that, interrupting and talking over others won’t make them feel very motivated to speak to you again. It takes effort to start again and again because someone keeps talking in. An effort a person usually doesn’t make twice. So that should be the first goal: If someone else talks, you don’t.
Be tolerant.
You don’t have to agree with everyone. But the wise person enjoys conversations with those who don’t share their opinion more than the ones in which people blindly agree. A conversation should never revolve around trying to convince someone and instead should be about understanding another perspective. This is why we are here. We have no evidence that ANYONE on this earth thinks the way we do. The only hints we have are from simply asking them what’s in their head. I can’t count the times I’ve learned something about a person after I took the time to ACTUALLY listen to their response. See, there is a difference between waiting until it is your turn to speak again and valuing someone else’s response more than your own. How many issues I could have resolved had I just listened to others telling me about their struggles (which were often shockingly close to my own).