There is an old adage that we have two ears and one mouth and should behave in proportion — listening twice as much as we speak. Some communications experts argue that this is an understatement and that we should adopt the “LisTEN” rule; if we truly want to understand the person we are with, our talk-listen ratio should be 1:10. Being listened to makes people feel good — it signifies to them that they are interesting and what they have to say is valued. Imbued with the confidence this brings, they reveal more about their beliefs and feelings. It is no surprise then that successful salespeople are frequently described as great listeners.