How to advice somebody ?

The best way to advice somebody is to find out what they want and advice them how to attain it?

An apt topic “How to advice somebody ? “ As a matter of fact, I WOULD take the same stance as the author descibes that its absolutely necessary to listen to somebody before I give him any piece of advice.

First of all, I feel its always important to undertsand whats going on in the mind of the person who seeks my advice. For example, few years back my younger brother came to me one day and questioned asked me whether he can join Army. I said Yes, Why not ? In fact, that’s not what he wanted to become. He wanted to become an engineer, but he was little afraid of the competitive exams that he has to undergo before he finally secure a seat in an engg college. I went on to tell him that everything is possible with hard work and diligence.

Another example that came to my mind was of US late president, John F. Kenedy. He mentioned in his memoir that his father Sr Kenedy was always there to guide him, but never forced upon his views; His father, rather listened to him patiently to discover whats going in his son’s mind and then helped him chalk a plan so that he can tread on that path.

Moreover, there is a fair chance that we may mislead the advisee if we don’t understand his mind. In the same scenario, if without listening to my brother, I would have started babbling on the Army and passed on whatever little knowledge I have on that subject, who knows, my brother could have choosen a different career path.

Nevertheless, I do agree that there are a few people, who are misled and have no aims or aspirations in life. They don’t know what to do next or in future or in their life. In such cases, I would say, those people need much more understanding and attention than an average guy needs. Deep in their heart they have something which they may not be able to bring out, so as an able advicer, it will be my duty to make sure that they come up with their inherent thoughts and ideas.

Finally, I would reiterate that its absolutely necessary to listen and understand the concerns of a advisee, before we can impart our knowledge.