Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Seeking to be understood is the second half of effective communication. Once we are confident others feel understood, we can share our own point of view with respect and clarity.

The early Greeks had a magnificent philosophy which is embodied in three sequentially arranged words: ethos, pathos, and logos. These three words contain the essence of seeking first to understand and making effective presentations.

Notice the sequence: ethos, pathos, logos– your character, and your relationships, and then the logic of your presentation. This represents another major paradigm shift. Most people, in making presentations, go straight to the logos, the left-brain logic, of their ideas. They try to convince other people of the validity of that logic without first taking ethos and pathos into consideration.

What does it feel like to be completely understood?