Are You Listening?

Listening skills are very important for successful communications.  You can improve your relationships and your business by LISTENING to what people are saying.  Here are some tips that will help you listen for success!

Why Is Listening Important?

• To get information.
• To learn a skill.
• To understand someone better.
• To know how someone else feels.
• To develop a friendship.
• To find the best solution.

How To Improve Your Listening Skills

• Give the speaker your full attention.  Do not be distracted by the television or other things going on in the room.  Do not be thinking about what you will say while the other person is talking.
• Be comfortable with silence and long pauses.  You don't have to reply to every word that is said.  Take time to think before you speak.
• Be aware of nonverbal cues that may signal a lack of understanding.  Watch the person's expressions and body language. 
• Recognize that the person may be having difficulty saying exactly what he means.  Sometimes it is hard to find the words that you need to express thoughts and feelings. 
• Be aware of your own biases and how they may interere with your ability to listen.  Listen to what the person is saying...not what you want to hear.
• When waiting for a response, pause longer to allow the other person enough time to answer.  We are always in a hurry to speak.  Slow down and digest what has been said before you speak.
• Allow people to finish sentences and thoughts for themselves.  Do not interrupt.

These tips will help you win friends and influence people.  A good listener is greeted warmly everywhere he goes.

Listen, Listen, Love, Love!