Lets talk about speaking's better half!

Listening in any conversation be it a personal or professional space is an extremely underrated trait.

I have seen otherwise competent leaders lose credibility just because they aren’t good listeners.

Some lessons I have gathered over years of pondering, failing ,observing and sometimes simply listening?:)

1. Make an effort to listen. When this may seem obvious you will be surprised at the rise in your engagement levels when you take genuine efforts.
2. A precursor to point 1 is gathering enough information to remain invested in the conversation. Ask questions or talk with the presenter beforehand if you are unclear on the topic. A good way to gauge this is to ask the question 'What's in it for me?'
3. Eye Contact - Cant emphasize this enough :)
4. A pro tip especially for a zoom call is to interject the conversation at periodic intervals with affirmatory phrases like ' I see' ,'Makes sense','Right' and so on. This creates an element of comfort for the presenter that you are paying attention. More important when you are off video.
5. Taking a cue from the earlier point. Try to be on video wherever possible!
6. One way to subtlety encourage the speaker is to summarize the call/conversation by calling out the key points with 2 specifics in mind - General information conveyed and action items for you. This is again a very good way to clarify your understanding with the speaker and ensure that all are on the same page.

Listening well is an art and takes more practice than even speaking some times.One thing to remember always is how you listen directly impacts the speaker and can play wonders for him if done well.

In a nutshell , Listen well and influence better !

Happy Listening :)