Have you ever had to repeat yourself multiple times when speaking to someone? Do you get the feeling that sometimes the people around you aren't paying attention? As a followup to last week's Good Friday entry and based upon a personal branding seminar I attended this week, I decided to further explore the topic of listening.
In the seminar we were asked to develop our personal brands using a combination of our skills/talents and our accomplishments. I put listening as the core part of my personal brand, because I couldn't be an effective marketer or writer without listening. Plus, I think I do it quite well. :)
But communication is essential to every day life, so it's important to know how to do it well. No one wants to have a conversation or confide in someone who isn't listening. Here are some tips on how to listen well
- Pay attention. Stop what you're doing and make eye contact with the person speaking. If you are in the middle of something, ask the speaker to wait until you're finished so you can give him/her your full attention.
- Give cues that you're listening. Use nonverbal communication such as your body language (leaning in, nodding) and facial expressions, or intermittent verbal responses.
- Don't interrupt, unless you are asking for clarification on something the speaker said.
- Reserve judgement until the speaker is finished. It may be difficult, especially if the speaker is making statements you don't agree with, but you can't listen and formulate an argument at the same time.
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