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Hello teacher and classmates, here is my opinion:

In my view, effective communication is not only about expressing ideas clearly, but also about being able to truly understand others. Many times, people focus on speaking and forget that listening plays an equally important role. When we listen carefully, we can respond better, avoid misunderstandings, and show respect to the person we are talking to. I believe that good communication happens when there is a balance between speaking and listening, because both are necessary to create meaningful and respectful conversations.

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Personal Analysis:

For me, this quote means that having a good conversation is not just about talking, but about really listening to the other person. Sometimes people focus too much on what they want to say next instead of paying attention. I think listening shows respect and makes the other person feel important. In my experience, conversations go better when both people listen to each other, because it helps avoid misunderstandings and makes communication easier. This quote reminds me that being a good listener is just as important as being a good speaker.

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Well in my opinion, about the quote, the importance of listening in effective communication. it suggests that good conversation is not only about speaking, but about paying attention to others. Listening allows people to understand ideas, emotions, and interactions more clearly. in the context of English learning, listening is essential because it helps students improve comprehension and respond appropriately. It also connects with reading, as both skills involve understanding meaning and interpreting information. therefore, developing listening skills is key to successful communication.

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This quote is very assertive to daily life. Since based on how we listen to other, we are able to give an accurate response, feedback o solution. By listening others, we can get to identify their emotions, even those emotions that are not told explicitly, but we can find them in the way they speak. And by doing this, we can carry an empathetic conversation with others.

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In my opinion, true communication isn't just about how well you express yourself; it’s about how well you receive others. Most people are so busy planning their response that they miss the nuance of the person right in front of them. For me, real connection starts with intentional listening. It’s about being patient and showing enough respect to actually 'get' where someone is coming from before jumping in. In the end, having the emotional intelligence to listen is a much more powerful tool for building relationships than just being a good public speaker

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I think we should frame this phrase because many times we're talking but not listening, because we're overthinking or looking at our phones, which I consider a total lack of respect since we should value the time we share with others.

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In my opinion, this quote highlights the essential role of listening in effective communication. Malcolm Forbes suggests that meaningful conversations are not based on speaking, but on the ability to truly listen and understand others. many people focus more on expressing their own thoughts than on paying attention to others. I believe that active listening allows us to respond better and create stronger connections.

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Active listening is the ability to zone in on the conversation you're having and reaching a fully empathetic state with whomever is in front of you.
It means fine-tuning your ears, mind and heart to what's being communicated to you.
No smartphone, no distractions, no glazing over the nice lady that's crossing the street while simultaneously pretending you're there. None of that.

Too utopistic maybe?

I can't tell you how many times I've come across absent-minded individuals. The scenario was always the same.
Right in the middle of a conversation, both in one-on-one setting or group chatter, someone opens up their iPhone. From there, the talk lasts about 30 more seconds, a period after which they totally diverge from the main topic that was being discussed initially (you'll notice it when they start sticking the pronoun "I" way too many times into their sentences).
It is a total turn-off.
And that's usually the point where I wish I could've stayed at home playing checkers with my grandmother.
The ability to properly listen is a skill that, in this extremely fast-paced world, very few learn to master.

But that doesn't mean it's difficult.

On the contrary, it's pretty achievable, and the steps below will certainly speed up the whole process:

1. Make eye-contact.
Eye-contact is probably the most important thing to keep in mind when talking to someone. Looking in the other person's eyes doesn't necessarily mean you're present and active within the conversation, but it is nonetheless the first step towards reaching full empathy. It ensures the counterpart that he/she is being respected and listened to.

2. Ask questions.
Not only do you need to ask questions when you don't understand something, it is just as important, every now and then, to check if the two (or more) of you are on the same page. This is achieved through asking paraphrasing questions: they allow you to both make sure you grasped the concept and improve your self-awareness within the conversation. Even more than that, those questions get the other person to see things from a different standpoint, therefore furthering more communication.

3. Pay attention to non-verbal cues.
Did you know that non-verbal communication constitutes about two-thirds of all communications?

Based on this, it's pretty safe to say that body language is important and therefore deserving of attention.
When we are relaxed, our physical gestures and our vocal messages match, leaving our interlocutor with no room for doubt and second-guessing. On the contrary, when we're tense or stressed, our physical signals might send a different message which it the total opposite of the one that we're vocally trying to address. Remember about that when listening, and, if the situations permits, clarify the other's emotional state.

4. Be empathetic.
Tap into the feelings behind the words.
Don't just stop at what people are saying, ask yourself why they're saying it. Place your ego aside and dive into what provoked a particular response.
By putting yourself in their shoes and see the whole situation from their eyes, you allow them to express their true feelings. Besides the fact that giving the gift of undivided attention and compassion to someone is one of the most generous things you could ever do as a human being, it also gets you to amplify your own perspective on different subjects.

Easier said than done, I know.
Leaving the comfort zone of "I'm preparing my answer" for the uncertainty of responding as you go is not easy to do and might seem intimidating at first. But with a lot of practice and patience, it'll eventually become second nature and it will enable the conversation to proceed as smoothly as silk.

5. Defer Judgment and be open-minded.
Let the other person finish before uttering anything.
It's called active for a reason, after all. There's literally no point in interrupting the speaker; it breaks the momentum, it limits your understanding of the message, and it is ultimately a waste of time.
The whole practice of active listening, as we previously outlined, revolves around respectfulness. You listen because you value other's opinions, and you want to learn more about them; hence, it would be impossible to respect your peer while simlutaneously opening your mouth. Be smart.

You also want to be (and look) as open-minded as you can, which means being ready to acknowledge worldviews that might differ from your own.
Due to different life experiences, not everyone has the same belief system; everyone grew up in a different way, meshed with different cultures and came across different people: the sooner you grasp that reality, the better your conversations will be.

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Active Listening: What Is It And How To Improve It - Antonio Martina - Medium

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Active listening is the ability to zone in on the conversation you're having and reaching a fully empathetic state with whomever is in front of you. It means fine-tuning your ears, mind and heart to what's being communicated to you. No smartphone, no distractions, no glazing over the nice lady that's crossing the street while simultaneously pretending you're there.

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In my personal opinion, this quote means that a good conversation is not about talking a lot, but about knowing how to listen to others, I think many people focus on what they want to say instead of paying attention, but listening helps us understand better and connect with others.

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This quote has a big meaning, at least for me it seems like it suggests that the quality of an interaction is not determined by how much you say, but by how well you process what is being said at that time.

We can pretty much say Speaking is how we express ourselves, but listening is how we connect with others.

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My personal opinion about this quote is that it highlights something essential: listening is not just a passive act, but the heart of real communication. When we truly listen, we understand others better, and conversations become meaningful.

I also see a connection with reading. Just like in a conversation, reading involves both top-down processes (using our background knowledge to predict meaning) and bottom-up processes (decoding words and grammar). In both cases, understanding starts with paying close attention.

That’s why I find this quote so valuable: it reminds us that whether we are talking or reading, the art of understanding begins with listening.