Listening well builds your credibility, your career and your business.
More than anything else, we all want to be heard and understood. It’s human nature, but our own personal needs in this area often overpower our capacity to listen effectively to others.
Respect and admiration are two glowing benefits that come from good listening. We’ve all the heard the praise and felt this way during encounters with great listeners: “She made me feel like the only person in the room” or “He made me feel important and really got was I was saying.”
Great listeners have a few important qualities that contribute to their listening:
- They are humble. They don’t act self-important.
- They talk less. They let others talk more and they affirm them and their points.
- They shine the spotlight on others. They give praise freely.
Julian Treasure is a listening expert whose Ted Talk has been viewed a couple million times. He outlines a simple acronym to help remember the key elements of good listening. It’s RASA:
Receive, which means pay attention to the person; Appreciate, making little noises like “hmm,” “oh,” “okay”; Summarize, the word “so” is very important in communication; and Ask, ask questions afterward.
Good listening creates connections, builds relationships, and establishes rapport that puts people at ease.
Have a great week.
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