Having something to say is only as good as the person listening to you. Next time you see a friend at the gym or store ask them how they are doing and really listen to their answer. Don’t drift off to what you have left to do in your day or what you are cooking for dinner tonight. You might be surprised at what you have been missing by not truly listening to friends and co-workers. I have found that if I make a real effort to listen to people they will notice that I am listening to them and return the favor. Keep in mind that this technique doesn’t work when speaking to your kids. Getting kids under the age of 20 to listen to anything you say is next to impossible.
Why do I bring this up? The short answer is in case you are going A.D.D. that any time I am asked about how I am doing or what is going on in my life, it is never just a 5 word answer. Most of my friends stop listening after the fifth word of my response to their enquiry. They now know that if you ask how Bill Emery is doing be prepared to sit a spell. Sometimes you may even have to pack a lunch and take a Ritalin so you can follow along with the story. My good friend and renowned Beatle Trivia Expert BeatleTom was the first to point this out to me and anybody that would listen to him. You see making fun of Bill Emery is almost as much fun as watching monkey videos on You Tube. It’s a running joke now but I am trying to cut down on the run-on sentences and not to go too far off topic. My life is at times complicated and very hard to explain in short bursts. I am tempted to place an ad in Craigslist titled “Wanted friends that know how to listen.” Not sure how much a response I would get since listening is a lost art, plus I don’t have a white van without windows. Insert Craigslist killer jokes here.
I know that the world is filled with all kinds of “self-help” groups and seminars but I have never “heard” of a group that specializes in teaching the art of listening. So I did a little research and found that active listening groups are a real thing. Once such article on active listening and how it can improve your life and relationships can be found at www.mindtools.com › Communication Skills. After reading that article I realized two things; one I was starting to sound like my Mother yelling at me when I was in the 3rd grade and two I could be better serving my customers by listening closer to what they were saying about their business. H&A needs to be listening to what our customers are saying so we can serve them better. So as I told my teams this morning “do less talking and be listening”
Tip:
Good communication skills require a high level of self-awareness. By understanding your personal style of communicating, you will go a long way towards creating good and lasting impressions with others.
At the end of the day you are only as good as the listening you have done that day. Your brain is wonderful tool but you need to fuel it on productive thoughts so it can run at maximum capacity. So get out there today and listen to what people around you have to say. Develop your listening skills that will make you a better person by visiting http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/active-listening.html