Are you a skilled communicator? Do your coworkers and family agree with your assessment? Whether you are in a meeting with stakeholders, customers, coworkers or just having a family meeting, Listening is a vital skill to be successful.
It has been my experience both personally and professionally that when I have a conversation, and I seek to understand first, it has a better outcome. It is easy for me to just listen enough to form my response, get my point across, and expect a favorable outcome on my part. As a leader in my community, and a professional my biggest growth, and my best outcomes happened when I learned to truly listen.
Being aware of how I listen and learning how to “listen to understand others” was eye opening. It started my life long journey of self-improvement.
Before I learned to listen to understand, I was often frustrated. I felt people were not understanding me. But when I flipped the switch things changed. Understanding others first gave me the opportunity to be heard.
If you are looking for resources to help in your journey I recommend “Listening the Forgotten Skill” by Madelyn Burley- Allen. It is a great resource to learn the skill of listening. It helps you assess your listening style, educate you on levels of listening and gives you practical exercises to take back to work and practice on your colleges and family.
If you would like more information about how you can be a better listener or any other communication skills please feel free to reach out to me at dorothy@cultivateconsultants.com or visit follow cultivate consulting on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cultivateconsultants/.
