Listen like your job depends on it because it just might!
Listening is the number one skill for success in business today. Poor listening skills make people angry and make them feel you don’t value them. They affect all relationships, especially business relationships. Most people think they are good listeners. In reality,...
The Top Three Complaints about Managers
Your first quarter is almost closed. Things are already hectic and project deadlines are piling up. There is a pressure to make the numbers. Does this sound like your life as a manager? If it does, be cautious of making the work take precedence over your people...
The Five Things Intentional Listeners Must Master
If you think you are a good listener, think again. Study after study confirms that most people listen effectively only 25% of the time. Instead of listening, they are focused on responding. What is often overlooked is that there are three levels of listening. At the...
What’s Your Intention?
Communication ranges from building a relationship or gaining consensus to controlling an outcome. According to Susan Campbell, author of Saying What’s Real, almost 90% of all communication comes from the intent to control. She cautions that the more we aim to control,...
Intentional Listening — It’s an Advanced Skill!
If you think you are a good listener, think again. Study after study confirms that most people listen effectively only 25% of the time. Instead of listening, they are focused on responding. What is often overlooked is that there are three levels of listening. At the...Establish Credibility by Being a Trusted Advisor
What business person wouldn’t covet being thought of as a trusted advisor! Obviously, customers would act on your recommendations and refer you to other business acquaintances. They would turn to you first to improve the quality of their business and sign contract...- Acknowledging – the Inside Scoop
When a customer, whether internal or external, has an issue, the good listener acknowledges it. By empathizing, the person feels you understand him and becomes more receptive to hearing what you have to say. He or she becomes less hostile. You build rapport. Do not worry that this will lengthen the call. It will actually facilitate moving the customer into problem solving mode sooner. Most acknowledgements take only a few seconds anyway.
- “I’m Just Not That Funny!”
Most people enjoy humor. They love to laugh. However, when it comes to the workplace, opinions vary. Some people feel it’s a good thing, others do not. Even in the camp that says humor is a good thing, a lot of folks would say, they are just not funny! Humor, if done right, can be a great tool for relating to your listeners whether face to face, on the phone or virtually.
- Some Resolutions Executives Wish You Would Make
It’s the New Year. A lot of us make resolutions. “Go to the gym.” “Eliminate sweets.” Have a real lunch, instead of a latte.” Most resolutions that I hear are about people’s waistline- rarely any about one’s professional life. This prompted me to ask the I executives I work with what resolutions they wish people would make about their jobs. Here are their top five:
- Tell a Story and You’ll Connect
Most people begrudging attend meetings with vendors or salespeople. They look upon them as an interruption. The last thing they want when they are busy is more information about a product or service thrown at them. When they actually do meet with you, they are often distracted and pre-occupied- anything but focused on you. In addition, when the meeting is over, they quickly forget your message as they move from meeting to meeting. Your job is to pull distracted executives into your world; otherwise, all your hard preparation is for naught. Your one-time golden opportunity may be lost forever.
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