A man attended a meeting where the guest lecturer was extremely long-winded. When the listener could stand it no longer, he got up and slipped out a side door. In the corridor he met a friend who asked, “Has he finished yet?”
“Yes,” the man replied, “he’s been through for a long time, but he’s not aware of it! He simply won’t stop!”
The idea of coming to the point and saying something worthwhile is also good counsel for us as we talk with others each day. If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit some of our conversation is nothing more than careless talk. Pause a minute and think about what your usual conversation is like. What is the subject of most of your discussions? Do you talk too much and not give opportunity for others to speak? Is your speech profitable to others?
Speak words that build up others and don’t just fill the air.
Source: Our Daily Bread, July 2003
If you want to have others listen to you, consider what – and how – you are saying. LISTENING TO YOURSELF PAYS!