Stand out from the crowd, gift someone your undivided attention.
Simple and powerful.
In today’s competitive business world where importance is defined by our level of ‘crazy busy’, a sure-fire way to create positive impact and be memorable is to slow down and create space to make someone feel important. Feel heard. Feel understood.
Have you ever felt truly listened to? That feeling of deep connection that comes from someone putting down their phone, turning to face you fully, looking you in the eye and listening, really listening. Maybe there is a quiet nod of the head or a perfectly placed question that helps you to explore your situation from a new angle. This stuff is powerful.
No tapping of feet or clock watching, no pings from phones. No rushing or overtaking. Space to speak, be heard, valued and feel important.
If you want to leave a lasting impression and be known for the positive impact you make on others, here’s your ‘how to’:
- Carve out a time and place where you won’t be disturbed
- Leave your phone outside the room, so you stay present
- Empty your mind right before meeting the person (a quick brain-dump on paper works wonders for me), so you can focus and truly show up for them
- Let the person speak without interruption with quiet nods to let them know you hear them
- Clarify what you understand by reflecting their key points
- Ask better questions and help them elaborate on their thoughts; treat them like the expert they are.
Finally, make sure that your body language is open and engaging. Our words only convey 7% of our message. We communicate the other 93% through facial expressions and the tone of our voice. Body language expert, John Roldan claims ‘Certain behaviors, like smiling, trigger mirror neurons in our brain and our face automatically reflects what the eyes see. The other person can subconsciously pick up if you are genuinely interested,”.
Standout today and create a new personal champion with your killer listening skills.
