How Well Do You Listen??

What a fun week this has been where I have personally given out 66 signed books to Rolls Royce staff following the Masterclass I ran for them earlier in the month. It was great to shake their hands and hear the great comments from the Masterclass first hand. I also delivered another Masterclass to over 100 Rolls Royce staff this week with excellent feedback.

I ran another coaching session with my great client in Dublin. On the back of these coaching sessions my client has booked me to deliver my Masterclass to his senior team in Dublin in March. This is exciting as we have really connected, and I see great potential in Ireland.

Nottingham Trent University Business School

Later in the week I ran a Masterclass for the Postgraduate students at Nottingham Trent University Business School during their Postgraduate Personal Development Week. The University have an outstanding programme for their students and this week is a fine example of that.

The Personal Development week is there to ‘inspire the student’s curiosity, imagination and creativity. As well as testing their tenacity, resilience and determination’. I take my hat off to the University for this amazing work. My personal thanks to Claudia Bordogna and Shelley Clark for booking me for your students again this year.

A great reminder of a key skill

I read the following from a publication called ‘Word for Today’ a few days ago and it made me think about the importance of listening well. It reminded me of the time when I was a poor listener and how I worked on improving this area of my life and how much I benefited from the change.

How Well Do You Listen??

“Studies show we forget 50 per cent of what we hear immediately, 80 per cent within a day, and 97 per cent within a week. So what’s the solution?

When you listen, make understanding your goal, not just remembering facts. Great learners are great listeners; that’s why they always have a flow of fresh ideas. The truth is, you’ll never know how close you are to a breakthrough or a blessing until you learn to listen.

Be honest. How often have you said you’re going to spend more time listening to the people in your life who matter? Start doing it, because if you don’t show up for life’s ‘special moments’, before you know it there will be none left to show up for.

The people who really listen to us become the most important people in our lives. If you want to be one of them, you must do three things:

1. Look directly at the speaker. Don’t belittle someone by catching up on work, talking on the phone, or tweeting and texting while they’re talking. Focus on them!

2. Don’t interrupt. When you do that, people think you don’t place much value on what they’re saying. Or that you’re trying to impress them with how much you know. Or you’re too excited by what you have to add to the conversation to let them finish.

3. Suspend your judgement. Wait to hear the whole story before you respond. If you don’t, chances are you’ll miss the most important things the speaker has to say.

Can you think of anyone you haven’t been listening to lately? The good news is it’s not too late to become a good listener.”

What great advice

I can think of many times in the past where I have pretended to listen to people and nodded at the right time when in fact I wasn’t listening. I gained nothing from the interaction and the odds are that they picked up some negative vibes.

Great learner are great listeners – so if you want to learn and grow faster then learn to really listen. Be in the moment, really listen to them and focus on what they are saying. Take interest and ask questions. Then you will leave the interaction with good energy and a positive feeling.

Quote of the Week.

“When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.” Joe Namath

Thoughts for the week:

1. How well do you listen?
2. This week make a point of observing how well you listen.
3. Identify which of those three key areas mentioned you could improve in.
4. Determine that this will be your good listening week and make a real effort.
5. On Friday look back on your week and try to remember moments when you really listened and how it felt.

Well that’s it for this week have a great weekend and stay positive.

Warmest regards

John

Off the Wall – How to Develop World Class Mental Resilience available here
http://www.jdmindcoach.co.uk/product/off-the-wall-how-to-develop-world-class-mental-resilience/ (Special offer. Put in code 10POUND when prompted to receive a signed copy for £10 including postage and packing – UK only)