Many believe that one of the cornerstones to success is knowing all the answers and being able to rapid fire those answers at a moment’s notice. However being the “answer-giver” isn’t always the “answer.”
The answer lies in listening.
And not just hearing, but truly LISTENING—listening beyond the spoken word and listening for what ISN’T always heard.
I call it: listening between the lines. The most successful people are powerful listeners. They get the real story and they actively listen for what is NOT being said.
Here are five tips to get you started:
- Give your undivided attention to the speaker.
- Stay engaged in the conversation by avoiding distractions like emails and texts.
- Don’t interrupt. Actively listening means you let your listener completely finish his or her thought.
- Ask follow-up questions to clarify what you heard during breaks in the conversation.
- Use nonverbal feedback to indicate understanding.
These are just a few basic tips. Becoming a world-class listener takes practice. If you’re interested in enhancing your communication skills, ask us about our U the Communicator class, where we focus on not just with the words you choose and the way in which you use them, but with the ears you have and the way in which you listen.
Until next time, listen up!