Prep Your Mind for Effective Listening
Go ahead, hit PAUSE.
In the middle of everything else you’re doing, it’s hard to find the time to prepare yourself for yet another virtual meeting. But you deserve that time, and so do those on the other side of the connection. It only takes a few seconds or minutes.
Hit your internal PAUSE button before your next video or phone conversation and prepare for good listening and questioning with these 4 simple practices.
- Quiet, please.
Quiet your surroundings as much as you can and, especially, your mind. Practice banishing the distraction of your internal talk.
- Prepare for interruptions.
Did an urgent message pop up on your screen or over your shoulder? Does a family member need something right now? Interruptions happen. Here are two ways to deal with them:
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- If you need to attend to something other than the conversation, make an intentional decision: You may need to reschedule the appointment.
- Or, you may say, “Excuse me for one moment, so I can take care of this and then give you my full attention.”
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- Stay focused.
When your attention wanders, pull yourself back in. You can quickly lose focus, and when you “come back,” you realize you’ve no idea what’s been said. (Oops!)
- Relax.
With many people working from home and other non-traditional spaces, there’s often a lot of grace given to what happens in a virtual meeting. When you take a few seconds or moments to prepare yourself, you’re much freer to receive and extend this kindness.
Practice these preparations for every type of meeting or interaction with others to build your personal and professional relationships. You’ll be ready to listen well and participate productively.
Does your team need to build skills for good communication and increased performance? BRODYpro’s Listening for Clarity and Connection program includes a variety of useful tools to build credibility and rapport through effective listening.
Read a description of Listening for Clarity and Connection or contact us today to discuss a customized listening program for your team.