Have you heard?
18 july is world listening day!
And if that doesn’t make you chirpy, read to the end for what the Bird has to do with it…
Whether it’s negotiating, coaching, resilience or even presenting, listening is our secret sauce.
Listening underpins everything I do with people and teams – as it does for you!
When most of us want an easier life, here's why our listening often 👉 fails us 👈...
Good listeners build trust and people fulfil requests faster from people they trust. BUT we decide to trust in only 7 seconds of meeting and when keen to get things done we can find listening tricky...
Listening gets tricky 🚧 because brains think faster than anyone speaks, leaving space for distraction.
What helps?
1. Beat distraction by listening for the feeling 💗 behind someone's speaking - we can find them more interesting and relatable!
2. Listening fully means to their agenda, not with ours. Which is why interrupting is fatal – because interruption changes the course of what the other person was saying (as they recover their train 🚊of thought) and steals their energy in doing so.
3. Listening saves energy 🔋 – in not having to find words for a while and being steered or inspired by others, rather than needing original ideas 💭.
Need more incentive?
85% of what we learn is through listening. Listening and learning more makes us interesting. Consider the best listener you know - you probably pay more attention to what they say because they seem wise 🦉.
What's new to try?
✅ Instigate ‘No interruption’ meetings 👂👂👂 and see the difference in trust, clarity and outputs and the quieter people opening up more!
World Listening Day 🌍 was started to highlight noise pollution and the relationship between humans and nature....dovetailing into (wait for it!!)...
✅ Birdsong boosts listening...hearing birdsong 🐦boosts our dopamine and mental health for up to 8 hours! Dopamine fires up our executive functioning and motivation, making it easier to pay attention. Try the ‘Woodland Alarm Clock’ app for a daily birdsong boost – I love it!
Here's to boosts in - and by - listening!
P.S. Get in touch for help for you or your team with any conflicts, clashes or under-performing (or for Listening Skills Training which is culture-changing AND fun!)
“Really positive feedback: Great to see the teams getting so much from it”