10 Listening Tips In Two Minutes
Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Dec 12, 2012
Can we ever get enough of these quick hitters? No, I don't think so. Sometimes short and sweet works just fine for both the writer and the reader. So far I've done leadership, customer service, and motivation; let's see what can be done about listening.
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1. Maintain eye contact with whomever you're listening to. It's hard not to pay attention to someone who's looking you in the eye.
2. Be as comfortable as you possibly can. Any other position agitates you and thus you're only concentrating on how bad you feel at that moment.
3. When the other person pauses, take that opportunity to repeat parts of what the person has said to make sure you're getting it correct. It might feel like you're interrupting but everyone appreciates knowing that you hear everything they're saying.
4. If they ask you to let them tell the whole story, don't interrupt again. This happens sometimes, in which case just let the other person talk.
5. Don't answer phones; if you can, turn them off. It's hard to ignore a ringing (do phones ring anymore?) or buzzing phone, but it's imperative to try not to allow any interruptions.
6. If the other person needs to walk, let them. Some people think there's an advantage to making the talker sit across from them but everyone isn't comfortable speaking while sitting still.
7. Don't be thinking about responses while the other person is talking. This is the hardest to overcome because human nature makes us want to respond to everything almost immediately.
8. It's okay to take notes. I know very few people who'd get upset if you took notes during a conversation unless it's a personal conversation. You want to get it right and if that's your way, go for it.
9. Instead of always immediately responding, try asking probing questions that not only proves you were listening, but that will also give you more information. Sometimes you know you're not getting the whole story, but questions lets the person know you really care.
10. Process what you've heard before you respond. Even if you think you got it all, taking some time to think about it before you say anything helps to make sure you respond in the proper way. You might only get one chance to get it right.
Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2012 Mitch Mitchell 
Hey Mitch,
These are wonderful tips for listening. I think these are great tips for communicating with ones spouse as well. Wouldn’t most marriages end up being a happy marriage if only we would take the time to “listen” to the other person. Not only marriage but also in business. You want to be able to feel like your being heard when your a customer somewhere and the business person is actually hearing what you are saying. A great reminder of how I should act when having a conversation in everyday life.
Tanya recently posted..How to Choose Professional Organizations to Join
Thanks for your words Tanya. True; I tend to think that there are lessons that are presented to us that cross boundaries. I thought about going for global, but since this is the business blog I thought I’d direct it specifically at those folks. I try to do these every time, but no one’s perfect. 🙂
This is definitely the right way. For sure most of the time everybody should follow at least half of this tips, expcepts probably, if you are reporter and taking an inverview, then should learn when to interrupt and move the conversation in proper direction.
Carl recently posted..Benefits of using a Zebra barcode printer
Well, I figure the tips are general for everyone, but at times and for certain jobs things might have to change on some of these.
Yeah, you are right, that’s why I mentioned reporters. One of the first things that I’ve learned when I started work as TV reporter in my high school years, was to learn to interrupt the conversation. As a team leader many times the situation was the same.
Carl recently posted..Introducing High Temperature Oil Seals
There is nothing better to most people than being given the chance to talk, and being listened to. In our business, it’s particularly important, but in all business models, prospects need to be listened to.
Absolutely Steve. These quick tips offer people a chance to figure out how they can use these skills on their own. Of course, for more help they can read more of this blog. 😉