All the latest and greatest tools mean nothing 
— if you aren’t listening
I read several great blogs today — and would still be reading — if I didn’t want to share my own understanding of one important topic:
Effective social media marketing — aka REAL CONVERSATION — cannot happen without someone to LISTEN.
Let’s get personal for a moment.
Stop and think about the last time you thought you were having a conversation with a friend or significant other . . . and words later, the other person said something that clearly showed you she wasn’t really listening – no how, no way.
Frustrating, maddening, really.
Want to listen?
Stop Talking . . . both aloud
. . . and in your head
So now step ahead to someone in a business setting who says he or she wants to be of service, and you say, “Great, here’s what I want” and then that person just keeps on talking — and keeps on ignoring you.
Frustrating, maddening, really.
Businesses today want employees with Great Communication Skills. But many times they don’t even consider Listening to be one of the most important communication skills. Too bad. Without these critical skills, “the best laid plans of mice and men . . .” are all for naught.
In my Business Communication class, we actually have a few lessons on Active Listening. In addition to a great videotape where participants engage in activities like (a) continuing dialogues with the last words spoken and (b) carrying on conversations without using the word I, we discuss some important tips for becoming an Active Listener.
Some of these include the following:
1. STOP TALKING: Forget about what you want to get across and focus on the person speaking to you.
2. KEEP AN OPEN MIND: One sign of a critical thinker is being able to remain objective so that you neither hear what you want to hear nor dismiss the remarks of someone because you don’t like him.
3. LISTEN BETWEEN THE LINES: I love this one. As a former reporter, I got used to hearing propaganda; you really need to dig deep sometimes. Additionally, in our global society, the words of one culture may have different meanings than we are used to.
4. HOLD YOUR FIRE: This is a particular problem in a classroom where some people are always feeling the need to take the stage. You can’t listen to someone else when you are preparing your next lines.
5. PROVIDE FEEDBACK: This is KEY in business communication. It shows your degree of understanding of a problem or situation. This is the stimulus for the back-and-forth conversations that build relationships and communities.
So your job now is to Provide Some Feedback.
I know I’ve left out dozens of other Good Listening Tips. Have at me. I’m listening.
Next post: Robert Scoble discusses social media tools with SFSU students