Communicating is less about you and more about them. We worry about what we are going to say, what we are going to sound like, and how we are going to be perceived. If you want to know what to say, sound good saying it, and know what you are talking about, you need to first listen. Listen to what your audience is saying, this will tell you what’s important to them. Once you think you know what is important to them, listen some more, our first assumptions are usually not correct. Internalize what they are saying, try to put yourself in their shoes. This is called active listening. Warning, if you are trying to create your response while you are listening to the other person, you are not listening.
Only after you have practiced active listening are you allowed to speak. You will choose better words, sound more confident, and come across and genuinely be more authentic to yourself and your audience. We take speech classes in grade school and college, but when was the last listening class you took? Do not confuse listening with going with the crowd. Really Listen, Listen again, Decide, and Move On.
Reid Henry
Jane Henry
