{"id":12928,"date":"2009-07-08T08:54:00","date_gmt":"2009-07-08T13:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/BrandTwist.com\/?p=45"},"modified":"2018-10-18T20:14:59","modified_gmt":"2018-10-18T20:14:59","slug":"the-art-of-listening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/inspiration\/the-art-of-listening\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Listening"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Want to know the secret to a great interview (or any great meeting for that matter)?<\/p>\n

It’s not the ability to dazzle with charm, intelligence and witty insights. <\/p>\n

It’s not talking at all. It’s listening<\/em>.<\/p>\n

A friend of mine told me that not too long ago. <\/p>\n

It was a bit hard for me to take this in at first because I actually pride myself on being pretty handy with a quick response. And like many of us, I am probably a bit too enamored with the sound of my own voice.<\/p>\n

But in the spirit of the subject, and helped by a glass (or two) of extraordinary Chardonnay- I decided to put my skepticism aside and try to really hear what she was saying.<\/p>\n

And as she talked more about it, I decided I believe her. <\/p>\n

Partly because she is one of the best people I know at building client relationships and winning new business- so she has lots of credibility on the subject.<\/p>\n

But also because the more I thought about it, the more it makes sense.<\/p>\n

Listening, really listening to what someone else has to say, and not just biding your time til it’s your turn to speak…shows a lot of good qualities.<\/p>\n

It shows respect, interest, restraint, thoughtfulness. <\/p>\n

It makes the other person feel flattered and heard (two powerful emotional drivers).<\/p>\n

But here’s the thing, listening is hard.<\/p>\n

You have to work at it to be really good at it.<\/p>\n

It seems there is so much focus these days on sharing, talking, blogging (mea culpa), communicating, networking etc. That we often overlook the important art of listening.<\/p>\n

It’s something I’m trying to get better at, but it’s taking a fair amount of conscious effort.<\/p>\n

So I’ve asked a few people for advice on being a better listener, and here are a few tips I’ve picked up:<\/p>\n

– Force yourself to focus, put away the Blackberry
– Don’t take notes, it actually takes the focus away from the conversation
– Concentrate instead on being present, repeat out loud what you’ve just heard
– Pause after someone is finished speaking
– Resist the urge to rush in with a comment
– Thank the other person for sharing their view before you respond
– Don’t’ say “yeah, but”, instead may it a habit to respond with “yes,and…”<\/p>\n

Active listening, if done right, encourages you to build on the idea that you just heard instead of tearing it down. <\/p>\n

This will lead to better meetings, more successful interview, and stronger relationships.<\/p>\n

Hard to debate the value of all that. Isn’t it?<\/p>\n

That’s my point of view. What’s your twist?
How do you hone your listening skills?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Want to know the secret to a great interview (or any great meeting for that matter)? It’s not the ability to dazzle with charm, intelligence and witty insights. It’s not talking at all. It’s listening. A friend of mine told me that not too long ago. It was a bit hard for me to take […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-customer-relations","category-inspiration"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t