How well do we listen?
I catch myself asking someone their name right after I'm introduced - was I really focused and listening?
Here are some tips on enhancing your listening skills and would like feedback on your good and not so good experiences.
Don't think about your response while the other person is talking. Ever notice as soon as the speaker is completed the other person automatically has a response. More often than not, we have observed the response has nothing to do with the speaker' conversation.
Listen without forming a bias and wait until the speaker has completed their discussion to understand fully what they are saying before making a response.
Never assume (we all like this one). If the comment is "I require this right away" does this mean within the hour? today? tomorrow? sometime this year? Ask for clarification and you will be suprised sometimes your assumption is incorrect.
Focus on the listener and avoid the distractions. Look at the speaker - make eye contact - instead of looking at your smart phone or others at a neworking event.
Look forward to hearing some of your experiences.
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Ok - someone is listening to how to listen! Listening is an action word, a verb - so that means responding, taking in to your heart and also listening with your eyes - what does the body language of the speaker say to you? Is the body language, voice intonation congruent with the words coming out of their mouth? This all takes practice - letting people know you are working on becoming a better listener will help too!
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