Victor Lustig was one of the great con artists of the 20th century.
He managed to sell the Eiffel Tower not once, but twice, to two different sets of investors.
He identified 10 steps to being a great con artist.
And one of the most important was the ability to listen.
He claimed, rightly, that the perception that con artists are great talkers. In fact, they are great listeners.
The same principle applies to negotiating. And can also be applicable to advocacy in court, particularly in relation to cross examination.
You cannot be good at cross examining witnesses if you are not a great, aggressive listener.