founder of naked leader
Hear, Hear – Are you Fully Engaged?
LISTEN with the same enthusiasm with which you speak.
That way, you will listen properly, rather than being full of your own dialogue, which originates in your mind, and not blocking out the potential for effective communication with others.
Communicating one way in a series of statements, of our condition or thoughts, means you may not be engaging in listening, really listening, to the thoughts of others.
See others point of view, see where they are ‘coming from’ and understand what they are conveying. Consider perhaps why we have been given two ears and only one mouth!
When I trained as a coach, we were taught that: “Listening is the highest form of hospitality.”
And I love this nugget of Eastern wisdom: “One who can humbly listen to the words of another is wise. The Chinese character for ‘ear’ is central to the meaning of the characters for ‘wise’ and ‘sage’. A person who listens well is wise and the wisest of the wise is the sage.” (Daisaku Ikeda)
“why we have been given two ears and only one mouth!” – I found that amusing, imagining what we’d look like the opposite way round!
Seriously – people talk to those who listen! Before you tell customers what you can give them… ask them what they really want!
Absolutely, customers need to have a voice and they don’t need to be sold to, listened to, then helped by what they need that you can provide.
Customers do need to be sold to, just in the right way!
Love the ears bit too. So true.
Without customers a business is shot!