Seth Godin, one of my favorite marketing authors, put this up on his blog a few days ago:
The self-absorbed are always in the market for a louder microphone and a shinier mirror.
They also have trouble distinguishing between interested and interesting. It turns out that the best way to appear interesting to someone who cares a lot about himself is to be interested.
And if you don’t see that, if you’re not so interested in what others are thinking about, it might be because the best way to market to you is to offer you a shinier mirror and a louder microphone… Link to Godin’s Blog
This really resonated with me because of the self-concerned nature of many of us. We often think in terms of ourselves, rather than the person we’re talking to. What happens is that we are far too concerned with what we’re going to say next, and we don’t actually listen to what the other person is saying. What if instead of trying to be interesting, we were simply interested in what they’re saying?