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Showing posts from September 29, 2009

LISTENING: THE FORGOTTEN BUSINESS SKILL

More and more we are busy, very busy. As a consequence we read and write quickly and superficially, because it seems that we are always in a hurry. When we have meetings with other people, we are also in a rush. We have difficulty in concentrating and paying attention to what the other person in trying to say. Our minds are thinking about the past (what happened before this meeting) and thinking about the future (what do we want the outcome to be of this meeting or even preparing for the next meeting). We are rarely in the now with our attention. Proper listening is an art. When we really master this art we can establish lasting relationships and faster achieve results. Why is this the case? The consequence of inappropriate listening is a lot of miscommunication, which consumes (a lot) more time and energy. So, what are some rules for proper listening? ·       Be open and receptive Questions prepared mentally before they are asked will disrupt the flow and not follow the intere