When asked by VizThink University to describe what I know about the act of listening, I didn’t consciously know what I knew. I knew that I had achieved a certain level of expertise, but much of that was a competency I had never articulated. So after pouring my listening experiences onto paper, I came up with six truisms and 18 tips for people who want to improve their skills in this area for the purposes of graphic recording, visual note-taking, and life in general. And to be momentarily sentimental, I realized that the most important thing about listening is encompassed by this quote:

Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable.

That is the most beautiful thing I could muster for this piece. And I didn’t technically muster it, so thank you, David Augsberger. My contribution to humanity is in the truisms and tips. Please, read on…

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