Bill Clinton on Paying Attention and Listening

I grew up in an oral culture of storytelling and I was raised by highly intelligent people, most of whom had very limited formal education but they were highly intelligent. And I was taught to listen and to observe and to pay attention and to listen to other people's stories. I was taught that everybody's got a story. I was taught that every life had some inherently interesting part of it but that most people can't get it out.

I really like the idea of making sure children hear and understand others' stories, before they get a chance to tell their own stories. Remember one of the habits of highly effective people: Seek first to understand, before being understood. It is the essence of working with others and forging meaningful relationships with them.