Do You Hear What I Hear?
Nature has given us one tongue, but two ears, that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak — Epictetus
Do you think you are a good listener? The idea behind this question came up at one of my other haunts Start Up Nation.
I remember a while back in my corporate life, I’d invited a group that specializes in developing and maximizing Listening Skills. It was fascinating, and to this day I believe that sharp listening skills are one of the foundations of a good employee, manager, exectutive or business owner.
What I found to be so fascinating, was the intuitive and sensory aspects of listening. Listening not just with your ears but with all of your senses. It was more about communication techniques and being tuned in, rather than the physiologial aspect of hearing sounds. It was also about how to feel, see and know what others are telling us, verbally or not.
If you think that building strong relationships through communication is important in business for — giving/receiving feedback, learning about new ideas, critiquing others’ work in a positive and uplifting ways, learning to be a better manager–you might want to keep these thoughts near your desk - (this all might sound like common sense, but it’s not that easy.)
Prepare to listen — Give your full attention to the person who is speaking. Do not look around the room or glance at the TV (I was doing that last night while hubby was talking).
Make eye contact — Look directly at the person who is speaking; give positive feedback by smiling or nodding your head in agreement.
Don’t Talk — (this is sooo important) Don’t interrupt; let the speaker finish their sentences, then pause before you speak.
Avoid judgements and jumping to conclusions — again this is imporatant and very hard to do, so — avoide being self-absorbed, and placing your own priorities above the speaker’s. Don’t dismiss or diminish what is being said. Don’t assume you know what the speaker is going to say next.
Listen between the lines — concentrate on what is not being said as well as the actual content.
Ask questions
Know thyself – know what causes you to tune out.
I need A LOT of practice.
Tags: Effective-listening-skills, practice., start-up-nationRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Fabulous Coffee Break
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