BETTER YET 1-1-2003

Meetings & Conventions: Short Cuts January 2003
January 2003
Short Cuts:BETTER YET

How to Listen Well

Good communication skills start with learning to listen whether to customers, employees, management or prospective clients. Management- Resources (www.management-resources.org), an online training source, offers these tips.

FOCUS. Make eye contact with the person who is speaking, and concentrate on what he is saying, not on what you’ll say when he stops talking.

DON’T INTERRUPT. Allow the speaker to present her facts and thoughts; it’s her turn.

BE SENSITIVE. Showing empathy to the person speaking will make him feel comfortable enough to convey problems or offer suggestions, especially during team meetings. This does not mean you have to agree with him.

REPEAT. To make certain you understand the speaker, paraphrase what she said, and repeat it in the form of a question. For instance: “So, you believe we need to broaden our options; is that right?”

• Cheryl-Anne Sturken