I’m all ears

My wife asked why I talked so quietly today, I told her I was afraid Mark Zuckerberg was listening!

She laughed, I laughed, Siri laughed and Alexa laughed!

?Alexa and Siri have that meta-skill to improve on the AI day after day.

?Listening is a meta-skill which means it is a high-order skill that allows us to engage with functional expertise more effectively. It's a catalyst for learning and building new skills faster. Skills are temporary; meta-skills are permanent.

?According to Forbes magazine – the other five meta-skills that we all need to succeed in 2021 and the rest of our working life, are:

• ?Perspective Taking
• Pain Spotting
• Story Telling
• Interviewing
• Connecting the Dots

?However, I will talk more about Listening skills here.?

?Listening skills are an important part of effective communication. Listening skills allow one to make sense of and understand what another person is saying.

?Most times when we are communicating with someone we are actively forming, in our own minds, what we are going to say next after the other person stops talking. This takes our attention off the other person and we tend to miss what they are saying. Listening involves more than just hearing, it also involves responding to what someone is saying. This process is called active listening.?

?Active listening takes time and practice. However, every time you use active listening, it gets a little easier. It can help you to navigate through difficult conversations. More than that, it helps improve overall communication, builds a better understanding, and ultimately leads to better relationships with family, friends, and co-workers.

?Here are some tips to become a better listener:

• ?Start with an open mind
• Listen to understand
• Be present at the moment
• Show that you are listening
• Repeat what you have heard
• Don’t interrupt
• Get comfortable with silence
• Ask questions to clarify your understanding
• Apply “Yes, and” rather than “No, but”
• Start your question or statement with “What do you think?”

?Here is a story of two great orators from the past - Cicero and Demosthenes. They both lived over 2000 years ago. Cicero was a Roman statesman and Demosthenes was a Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens.

?Cicero and Demosthenes spoke extremely well. But there was one significant difference. When Cicero spoke, the audience said, “Wow”, look how well he speaks. He is so impressive.?

?And when Demosthenes spoke, they got up and said, “Come on, let's go and wage war”.

So that’s the key difference. When one leader speaks you might have people say wow, he is so impressive, he is so effective. He speaks so well. And when the other leader speaks, they say come on, let's go out and act.?

?Here are some tips on as a speaker what can you do to better listening:

• ?Connect with your audience
• Keep it honest
• Consistent communication
• Listen
• Talk to the individual in the group
• Tell stories
• Be clear about what you want them to do
• Always think and follow - “What’s in it for them”

?Being a good communicator or being an effective leader, it’s all about inspiring people to act, to be a Demosthenes.?