What do you do if you want to master the art of listening and responding in networking conversations?

A big misunderstanding in networking is that you have to make an impression on the other person and to do this, you've to talk a lot about yourself. If you put yourself in the others' shoes, who would you rather pick? The one who went on talking about themself or the one who listened to you deeply? We all have a core need to be listened to and seen. If you fulfill this need for the other person, there's a higher chance that you'll be remembered and trusted as well. Be genuinely interested in the other person. Ask them questions about their work, life and what gives them joy. Use networking as an opportunity to build deep connection with others. The benefits will follow suit. first you'll need to give, invest in and nurture the connection.

Not Listen and Respond… but Listen, Understand and Respond… that should be the way. In my perspective, almost all listen to react / respond. We seldom pause to understand and respond. Viktor Frankl said, Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Listen for our growth, our freedom. To be able to choose to respond is power. I ask - should we even respond! Many a time there is no need to respond, if only we listen effectively and actively. The world will be a much better place. if all can listen to understand than listen only to respond.

De entrada diría que si la finalidad es el networking pienses que la persona con la que te estás relacionando necesitas llevar una relación conversacional que vaya más allá de lo profesional. Cuando ingresas a esa parte de la vida de los demás, sin duda tienes mejores resultados. Cuando sólo piensas en el networking como una relación transaccional terminas por no generar una relación cooperativa de ganar - ganar.

Practice giving your full attention to the speaker, maintaining eye contact, and showing genuine interest in what they're saying. Use empathetic listening to understand their perspective and validate their experiences. When responding, focus on being authentic and genuine, sharing relevant insights or asking thoughtful questions to deepen the conversation. Utilize your emotional intelligence skills to adapt to the conversation's tone and pace and to convey empathy and understanding. Effective networking is about building relationships, so prioritize authenticity and connection in your interactions. By honing your listening and responding skills, you can create lasting impressions and forge valuable connections in your professional network.

If I want to master the art of listening I have to consider some points such as Actively Listening, making eye contact, nodding and providing verbal cues such as Yes, Go on, etc. Another is Staying in present, we should be actively present in the conversation and avoiding distractions. After listening to the speaker, we should summarize the content and confirm what we understand from listening.