Working  Conversations Episode 10:

These 20 Minutes Will Make You a Better Listener

You know that feeling when someone is truly listening to you?

When they are giving you their complete and undivided attention?

The feeling is exceptional. We feel special and important. We feel seen and heard.

I deeply believe that being listened to like this is a gift. And it seems more and more rare these days when distractions on our attention are the norm.

It is more convenient for many of us to talk rather than to listen.Or at times we listen but we do not really pay attention to actually understand because multi-tasking takes over.

In this episode, I provide five keys to effective listening. These strategies helped a senior executive client of mine become a better listener when working with his senior management team and it made a significant difference for their organization -- and it can make a big difference for you too.

So drop everything now and spend 20 minutes listening attentively to this episode, because you don’t want to miss these strategies to get everything you need to improve your relationships – at work and anywhere – with better listening.

You can listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

FIVE KEYS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING:

• Listen with intent – intent to understand.
• Silence – your mouth and your mind. The letters in listen are the same as the letters in silent
• Listen with more than your ears – Listener Adaptation – I write about it in my book Head On: How to Approach Difficult Conversations Directly
•  Listen inside of disagreement
•  In what alternate universe does what this person is saying make sense?
• Bonus – Do not attempt to multi-task. There is nothing further from listening than multitasking.