We are so lucky to work with so many brilliant people; people that love to pour their knowledge into us to help us grow as an individual and also thrive in a working environment. Bud Parker, of Novologic, is one of those people. He has a passion to coach and teach his employees what he has learned over the years as a working professional.
We will be sharing with you some of the material Bud has been sharing with us. We hope that you are able to use this to help grow your business and also help you grow as an individual.
For the next few weeks, communication will be our main focus. What helps us communicate better? Why don’t people understand things the way we do? What can we do to listen more intently? Bud will help us answer all of those questions, and more!
This week is all about Mindful Listening. Check out what Bud had to say on mindful listening below.
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply” – Stephen R. Covey
No truer words have been spoken, at times I find myself thinking that a fast response is a sign of knowledge and ability to process at a fast pace. What I have learned is that I miss things – physical cues, gestures, nuances in the words that are used and many other important pieces to the puzzle.
In building on our listening skills, the next step is to practice Mindful Listening. Mindful listening is listening in the moment with kindness and without judgment.
There are 3 actions that we can put into practice to be better Mindful Listeners:
- Be present in the conversation – focus on the person you are listening to.
- Eliminate distractions – phones, laptops etc
- Clear your mind – take a few minutes before a meeting to clear your mind
- Cultivate empathy – we all have our own opinions, try to understand the other person’s position; acknowledge the differences is a good practice
- Listen to your own cues – particularly in difficult conversations; cues such as anxiousness, thoughts, and feelings can block our ability to listen – try to control and not let them in during the conversation
The benefits of being better listeners:
- Better retention of information – study shows that we forget about 50% of a conversation 10 minutes after it occurs
- The pause before you speak allows you to measure the effect of the words you use
- Increases attention span
- Helps to build confidence
We hope you can take this and apply it to your everyday life. Keep checking our website for our next ‘Bits and Pieces with Bud’!