Holiday is the time to listen.

"I am a shy person so I am more comfortable listening to others," so said by a speaker I recently heard at an awards show. 

What insight! What a great clue to working with people.  I have to admit that I get bored very easily talking all the time about my business. Listening to others becomes a pleasurable event when I calm down and open up to what they are saying. I get a sense of what is going on in their lives beyond what their words.  This helps me help them.


And if I know anything about the human being is that everyone wants to be heard deeply and sincerely. 

Here are few hints and tips on listening to all others this holiday season. 

How to Listen Well

• maintain eye contact;
  
  
• don't interrupt the speaker;
  
  
• sit still; stand comfortably to you don't weave or move too much; 
  
  
• nod your head; keep you hand still;
  
  
• lean toward the speaker; not too close as too imply intimacy, but enough to hear them clearly
  
  
• ask appropriate questions when the speaker has finished.

Barriers to Listening


Things that may get in the way of listening.

• bias or prejudice; do you like this person or not?
  
  
• language differences or accents;
  
  
• noise;
  
  
• worry, fear, or anger, boredom; 
  
  
• a different agenda for attending the event; 

So I ask you, "What is your challenge when listening to others?"