If you want to inspire your team members more effectively, and if you want to connect with your customers more effectively, then there is one skill that you should master:
Listening.
Master this skill and your team will love you, your customers will love you, and you’ll even see massive benefits in the personal relationships in your life, too.
Why Is Listening So Powerful?
Listening is the top skill to master because very few people listen. We just don’t live in a culture where people listen anymore. People are too busy watching TV or texting on their phones to listen to the people around them. Heck, many people PAY to have people listen to them (such as a therapist).
When you intently listen to someone with focus, they will be surprised and pleased – and you’ll set yourself apart as someone who cares.
And, as you listen, people will open up to you: your employees will tell you what they want in their career and they’ll reveal hidden tips to help you inspire them; your customers will reveal opportunities to serve them with other products and services.
Here’s How To Listen
It seems weird that I’m writing out instructions about how to listen but this is how far away our society is from truly listening to people anymore.
• Start by putting down your phone.
• Turn your face toward the person while they’re talking to you.
• Give indicators that you’re listening to the other person – such as nodding, saying “uh-huh”, or even repeating an important point when they pause. Smile, if appropriate.
• Ask relevant questions. The goal of every conversation is not for you to say the things on your mind but to ask better questions that help the other person say the things on their mind. Don’t try to “one-up” the other person with a better story.
• Don’t just listen to the words they say but also to their tone and to the hidden meanings of their words.
• Never interrupt or the other person’s finish sentences.
• When the person seems to have paused in the conversation, invite the person to continue talking about the topic.
• When the conversation wraps up, acknowledge what they said and repeat it back to them so they know that you understood them.
• When appropriate, take notes or take immediate action on what they said.
If you want to improve every single relationship in your life and business, you can do so right away simply by listening. This one skill will have an immediate impact.
To learn other powerful communication strategies, check out my book Secrets Of Communication Mastery.
P.S. – If you were waiting for the perfect time to seize this opportunity, the time is now. Read the Home ServiceMAX Magazine for FREE, today!
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