All of our lives we’ve been trained NOT to listen. Since childhood, parents and teachers have told us things like: “Don’t listen to him; he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” “Pretend you don’t hear that bully, and he’ll leave you alone.” “Just smile and nod, and then do what you want to do.” Unfortunately, [...]
Demonstrate Goodwill. Find a way to convey to the listener that you want to help him achieve his goals. Once the other person understands that you have his welfare at heart, he tends to trust you and believe your message. Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 45 books, published in 26 countries [...]
Someone has said, “The measure of your ability to communicate is the results you see.” While that’s a provocative statement, I don’t agree. Certainly it’s true that if you don’t get your message across to the listener, you haven’t really communicated. But unless you as speaker are the only one who cares, the process of [...]
From cell phones to Facebook to blogging to instant messaging, we’re surrounded by conversations, but all too often we forget that conversation not only entails getting your point across but receiving the intended message of others. Friday, November 26 is the official National Day of Listening. StoryCorps, founder of the holiday, learned that people want [...]
Santa can slide down that chimney any time he chooses, and he’ll typically receive a warm welcome no matter what’s happening at the moment. But when mere humans interrupt, it’s no laughing matter. In fact, it can be downright annoying. Here’s a recent email I received from Carole: Hello…. I always enjoy your newsletters and [...]
