Success Secrets:

Effective Communication

Effective Listening

The Art, Science, and Practice

"A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he knows something." – Wilson Mizner 

Brief History: "The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when someone asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer." – Henry David Thoreau... More

Understand and Fulfill Needs of Others

One of the golden rules of the therapy profession is that everyone needs at least one person with whom they can openly and unashamedly discuss every little detail – happenings, desires, fears – of their life, whether it is from the past, present, or future. There are other psychological needs – to be accepted unconditionally, appreciated, recognized, respected, desired, valued, approved of, or complimented – that affect the way we communicate with each other. Listen carefully, ask questions to show that you are genuinely interested and you'll be amazed at the spin-offs from becoming a good question asker and a good listener. People appreciate, respect and value others who are great listeners.

Humorous Quotes

"A bore is a person who talks when you wish him to listen." – Ambrose Bierce... More

Humorous Business Plan: Success in Love

Marketing strategy: "A man is already halfway in love with any woman who listens to him." – Brendan Francis... More

Humorous Business Plan: Successful Marriage

Milestones completed and future plans: "As soon as you find the one to marry, just shut up and listen." – Unknown... More

NLP Solutions: Engage All of Your Senses

Most people simply listen to the words that are being said to them, but words contain only 10% of the message. The remaining 90% is hidden in the body language and the tone of voice. Understanding body language can help you look beyond what people say to what they really mean.

To remember better what's being communicated to you, try to engage all your senses  whilst listening  as human brain stores pictures, feelings, smells and tastes more effectively than words. Understand you preferred mode of thinking, your mental map: whether you are a visual ('see' the world), auditory ('hear' the world), or a kinesthetic ('feel' the world). If you are a visual, when you're listening to someone, first of all make what they're are telling you into a movie. As brains remember better things that are out of the ordinary, you can try distorting pictures or making them funny. To enhance the effect, add sounds, link feelings to your movies, put the taste and smells in. And exaggerate everything.³

Barriers to Effective Listening

Often we have too much difficulty listening to other people because¹:

• we "know" what we are going to hear;

• we are seeking confirmation, not information;

• what's being said is getting in the way of what needs be said.

10 Rules of Listening

By: Linda Eve Diamond

Rule #1: Stop Talking! You can't multi-task speaking and listening. If you're talking, you're not listening. This rule also applies to the talking inside your head. If you're thinking intently about what you want to say, you're not listening to what is being said... More

Active Listening

Active listening involves playing back your own interpretation of what has been said in acknowledgement – 'As I see it, what you mean is...' .. More

Socratic Questions

Socratic questioning is at the heart of critical thinking – they enhance your critical thinking skills.

Socratic questions challenge accuracy and completeness of thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their ultimate goal... More

Empowering the People Around You

The three general rules for empowering the people around you, which apply to everyone you meet, are appreciation, approval, and attention. Voice your thanks and gratitude to others on every occasion. Praise them for every accomplishment. And pay close attention to them when they talk and want to interact with you. These three behaviors alone will make you a master of human interaction and will greatly empower the people around you... More

Customers can provide a much-needed perspective on products and services you may be too invested in to evaluate objectively. Since they're the ones who'll be buying, it's always better to know sooner rather than later... More

Treat your prospective customer as a player who wants to achieve extraordinary results. You are to help the player win. Listen to words, body language and emotions to understand the player's both conscious and unconscious needs... More

DOs and DON'Ts of a Successful Innovator

DOs: Go out to look, to ask, to listen... More

References:

1. "101 Ways To Generate Great Ideas", Timothy R.V. Foster,

2. "Selling with NLP", Kerry L. Johnson

3. "Super Communication - the NLP Way", Russel Webster

4. "Essential Manager's Manual", Robert Heller & Tim Hindle

5. "How To Be Better at Delegation and Coaching", Tony Atherton

6. "It's Not the Big that Eat the Small... It's the Fast that Eat the Slow", Jason Jennings and Laurence Haughton

7. "Natural Selling," Michael Oliver

8.  "Simple Stories for Leadership Insights In the New Economy," by Jeannette Galvanek and Ed Konczal, www.vitalrelationships.com

9. Listening Quotes

10. Rule#1: Stop Talking!: A Guide to Listening, Linda Eve Diamond