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You can’t be a
great speaker unless you’re also a great listener. That’s because
the best speakers are always speaking directly to the needs of the
audience. And often the only way to learn those needs is to ask
and then listen.
We heard a story
recently about Gerry Spence, the legendary trial lawyer who showed
up to give a speech to a group. He had no notes. No
PowerPoint. No handouts. Nothing.
The leader of the
group that was paying him was concerned because Spence seemed
unprepared. But several hours before the presentation, Spence
sat down with the head of the group and said, “Tell me the three
things that your group would be most interested in hearing about
from me.”
Then Spence
listened carefully, taking notes. His presentation directly
addressed the noted topics and the presentation was a huge success.
Of course the key to his success was that he took the time to listen
carefully to the needs of his audience.
CareerJournal.com has featured a nice piece on how
to improve your listening skills. The piece includes an accompanying
quiz that you can take to determine whether in fact you’re a good
listener.
There are several
keys to great listening.
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Focus on listening: Great listeners think of listening as a skill
they want to hone. One champion insurance salesmen told us that
the key to his success is that he really focused on
learning to be a great listener.
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Concentration: When listening, really concentrate on what the person
is saying. Don’t just sit back and let the words wash over you.
Don’t let distractions bother you. Poor listeners get distracted
by noise or unexpected movement.
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Fight the urge to interrupt:
Too many of us think that the opposite of speaking is actually not
listening but waiting for our turn to speak. When someone is
speaking, don’t think about what you want to say in response. Many
of us will miss important pieces of information because we’ve
stopped listening and begun forming a response to what we’ve heard
so far. Don’t do that. Just listen and try hard to absorb the
meaning.
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Ignore a person’s personal style:
Many poor listeners get distracted by accents, poor diction, or
regional speaking style. If you’re speaking to someone that uses
the word “you know” too much, ignore it and try to get the
meaning.
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Try to empathize: Great listeners try to understand beyond the words.
While listening, they wonder “Why is this person telling me this?”
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Listen actively: It’s a good idea to periodically “parrot” the speaker,
briefly summarizing the key points with phrases like “So what
you’re saying is . . . .”
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Have a strong listening face:
Great listeners are fun to speak to because they acknowledge the
speaker with body language like nods, smiles, leaning forward.
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net. |
