Listening is an incredibly important skill to have in both personal and professional life, writes Doug Noll for Medium. Andrew Belton — as owner of Symmetrical Media Marketing, a Philadelphia resource for small businesses — has leveraged the power of being a good listener.

His educational journey clearly relied on an openness to receiving and understanding verbal information. Belton’s educational journey included North Penn High School, Montgomery County Community College, Delaware Valley University, and West Chester University for an MBA.

Belton defines being a good listener as a three-step process:

1. Receive information as it is being provided
2. Comprehend that information
3. Craft responses that resonate with the communicating individual

“Effective listening will involve more than only listening,” said Belton, “Tone, facial expressions, and gestures also play a role in being able to decipher the thoughts and emotions of the person that you are conversing with.” 

To improve listening skills, Belton advised being adaptable and mindful of context.

He further stressed the importance of establishing rapport, focusing on the main topic, and actively working to improving listening skills over time. 

Read more about Andrew Belton in Medium.