People often ask me what’s the first step to becoming a better listener. The answer? Get rid of your bad listening habits. As much as we don’t like to admit it, most of us aren’t the best of listeners and we’ve developed some bad habits over our lifetimes. As you review this list of bad […]
Listening is probably our most important, but most underutilized communication skill. Part of the problem is that people are selfish and would rather be the one talking than listening. However, I also think people are bad listeners because nowhere along the line as we’re growing up, does anyone teach us how to be good listeners. […]
People often ask me what’s the first step to becoming a better listener. The answer? Get rid of your bad listening habits. As much as we don’t like to admit it, most of us aren’t the best of listeners and we’ve developed some bad habits over our lifetimes. As you review this list of bad […]
Not many people realize that silence is a very powerful communication tool—sometimes even more powerful than nonverbal communication or words. Doubt it? Try this. Look a person in the eye, ask him or her a question, and then wait for a response. Remain silent and simply maintain eye contact and provide your undivided attention. What […]
How many times have you been in a situation when a person’s mouth said one thing, but everything else about them seemed to be saying something else? For example, when you ask your boss if she has time to discuss a problem, and she looks at her watch, lets out a heavy sigh, and says, […]
The other day I was in a doctor’s office waiting room when a woman sitting across the way said LOUDLY to the man next to her, “What time was your appointment? Mine was supposed to be more than 30 minutes ago.” The man replied, “I know, I’ve been here for more than 45 minutes!” The woman’s comments […]
Listening is one of our most important communication skills, but also the one we spend the least amount of time developing. Think about it. Parents spend so much time in a child’s formative years teaching that child how to speak, read, and write. Then the child goes off to school and spends more time learning […]
“Hey, do you have time to talk?” “Do you have a minute, I have an idea I want to run by you?” How many times a day are you asked questions like these? And how many times do you wish you could be honest and say NO, but what comes out of your mouth is […]
The high cost of poor listening isn’t evident when you visit Tenerife Island, the largest and most populous island in the Canary Island chain. More than five million tourists visit the island each year, enjoying its distinctly beautiful beaches, mountains, and many cultural festivals. However, these tourists probably don’t realize that Tenerife holds a more deadly distinction. […]
When my daughter Kelsey was about four years old, we were both sitting and looking at the new fish in our fish tank. Having just added the fish, I was watching them closely to ensure they were adjusting to the water, temperature, and other fish in the tank. While I was doing this, Kelsey was […]
