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Tip 431: Listen with a clean slate. |
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Good listeners welcome new information and new ideas. Good listening does not require building a wall to screen out ideas and people that have as their purpose to change you or the things you believe. Rather, listening means standing on level ground, listening as though you were a doctor gathering new symptoms from a patient or a pilot in touch with the control tower during a storm. Excellent listeners expect to grant differences, grow their views and values, and gain insights. |
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Tip 432: Clean your listening filter. |
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There are some announcements we've trained ourselves not to hear. When the TV sports commentator says, "Let's pause now to let you hear from our sponsors," you take that as your cue to get something to eat. The digitized voice on the airport tram says, "Please stay clear of the doors; they are about to close." The mysterious voice on the parking lot of rental car agencies instructs: "Please leave your keys in the car and note your gas mileage; before leaving your car, please check the car for your personal belongings. . . .'' At times you do not hear these routine announcements at all. |
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We all have built-in filters to save us time in listening. The trick is in identifying the ones we should keep in place and the ones we need to clean or remove. Executives may filter any advice given by an outside consultant. Bosses may filter any suggestions given by employees. Customers may filter any advertisements from a company that has disappointed them in the past. |
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Some filters save time; others prevent opportunity and understanding. Continually upgrade your list to determine which are which. |
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Tip 433: Recognize that listening is not waiting your turn to talk. |
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Salespeople are often surprised to find that listening is one of the key ingredients of the most successful performers and the downfall of the poor performers. For them, awareness is half the battle. The same can be said of listening by most other professionals. Once you become aware of the benefits of listening and the pitfalls of not listening, you're a long way toward making improvement. The absence of talk is not the same as listening. |
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Tip 434: Avoid "Listening" as a retreat. |
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Those who are afraid to speak their mind on an issue, those who don't want to risk being wrong, those who are tired, those who don't want to "get |
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