Deep Listening is a Super Power

On a recent flight, I quickly learned four things about my seat mate:

1. Her husband is grumpy.
2. She is an accountant. "I count beans", she said at least 3 times.
3. She likes to drink wine. This was referenced–and demonstrated–immediately and throughout. (Related to this: I learned that Spirit Airlines has a 3-drink limit, by the way!)
4. She has JetBlue Mosaic status (this was also mentioned at least 3 times, including within 30 seconds of her starting the conversation).

And these are just the four things that popped into my mind right now when thinking about this. I know more about her, like her opinion about planes being delayed for connecting passengers (not supportive), her thoughts on the Titanic submersible ("they knew what they were getting into"), what her visit was like in Florida (she didn't get to go to the pool because her friend has kids and a busy life..."but that's OK"), and more.

If you asked her what she learned about me, I would suspect her answer would be, "about who?" She asked me a couple of questions but I'm pretty sure they went in one ear and out the other. She asked because that was her tactic to engage me in a conversation, which she clearly needed. She's a talker, not a listener. Oh, and remember, she is the one who discovered the 3-drink limit on Spirit...and came on board directly from the bar, after who knows how many drinks?

I am a deep listener. It's a super power of mine. Honestly, it's also a bit of a defense mechanism. I'd rather interview people and get them talking than have to say things myself...but that's another story. I don't just ask questions, I really do listen. And this listening has been one of, if not the, most important asset in my career.

I engage, ask questions, ask follow up questions, listen, interpret, translate, and turn all of that into plans to help clients achieve their goals. This was always the difference between me and my competitors when bidding on projects. If I lost a project, it was because of price or some other factor, never because the client didn't think I could help them.

Long story short, if you want to develop skills, sure, develop skills. Learn statistics, data analysis, R, python, Power BI, Tableau, etc. Learn how to design and tell stories. Hard skills, soft skills, and everything in between.

But most importantly, learn how to listen and engage. If you can become a "stakeholder whisperer" as I call it, your career will be whatever you want it to be.

==========

Ask me about virtual or in-person data storytelling and visualization training for your team (I also have a "Stakeholder Whispering" workshop!)

Learn more about data storytelling and visualization via my other LinkedIn Learning courses