Know Your Conversation Partner

• The personalty and mood of the person you are listening too needs to be taken into consideration. If the person is very optimistic, they may downplay negative aspects of a situation. A pessimistic person is more likely to dwell on negative aspects. You should also be sensitive to what’s going on in the person’s life that can impact the conversation and judgement. You need to know their basic values, priorities, and aspirations. People who are very likable or unpleasant are part of any organization. When you converse with these people you need to filter your thinking accordingly. Bernie believes that the most important personality trait to listen closely for is one’s relationship with risk. Ideally the person is self-aware enough to separate their emotional relationship with risk from the practical assessments of threats and opportunities at hand.

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