Listen

January 13th, 2022 | Listening
Listen

Click HERE to listen to Chapter 28 “Listen”

If you want to be effective at Leading With Questions, what is the first thing required every time you ask a question?

Might your answer be: YOU HAVE TO LISTEN!

“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost Indistinguishable.” — David Augsburger, Senior Professor of Pastoral Care & Counseling at Fuller Seminary.
Ken Blanchard shares that whenever he asks people to talk about the best boss they have ever had, they always mention one quality: listening!

A seminary student carried out an experiment for a class assignment. He put an ad in the local paper that said, “Will listen without interrupting for one hour. $50.” He was hoping to get a few calls from people who would simply give their reactions to his unusual approach. But before the experiment was over, he made about $600.

So has anything I just shared in this chapter surprised you? I’m guessing not!

How would you rate yourself as a listener?

A ) Above Average
B ) Average
C ) Below Average

How would your spouse or best friend rate you as a listener?

A ) Above Average
B ) Average
C ) Below Average

A while back, I read that 90% of all American drivers rate themselves as Above Average Drivers. Of course, statistically, that is not possible. But we all have this perception that the road demons are everyone driving faster than us, and the road snails are everyone driving slower than us, because we, of course, are driving the perfect speed.

I am guessing that most of us hope that we are an Above Average Listener, while at the same time having this nagging doubt that we might actually be a Below Average Listener.

So how can we become better listeners?

If we all already know how valuable listening is, why aren’t we better at it? What do you think? (I would sincerely love to hear your thoughts.)

And the really important question: How can we get better at listening? What do you think?

THE FOLLOWING PRACTICES ARE SOME THAT I HAVE FOUND HELPFUL IN MY JOURNEY OF LEARNING HOW TO LISTEN AFTER I ASK A QUESTION:

Focus on being interested NOT interesting!

The 8 Second Rule

Of course when most people hear “The 8 Second Rule” they instantly think of Bull Riding – where the bull rider has to stay on the bull for 8 seconds for his ride to be scored. For a bull rider the 8 seconds feels like an eternity. Truth is, when we ask a question, waiting 8 seconds for an answer can also seem like an eternity. As shared in Chapter 6: The average person waits only 2-3 seconds before rephrasing the question, answering the question themselves, or just moving on. Strange as it may sound, the average person has no idea that they do this!

The 8 Second Rule for listening is after you ask a question, count silently to yourself, “One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three……”, relax and wait patiently for them to answer. They will answer, and the longer you wait the better their answer will be. There have been times I have counted silently to 20, or even more, before they began to answer. The good news is that they will answer if you will simply give them time to respond.

Don’t Hijack the Conversation

Has this ever happened to you:

Friend: “Where did you go on vacation?”

You: “Walt Disney World.”

Friend: “We love going to Walt Disney World. Let me think – I think our last trip was our 5th. We love to stay at Disney’s Art of Animation Hotel. There, our kids just love seeing all the full-sized cars from the movie, “Cars”! They have Lightening McQueen! And Doc Hudson! And Mater! And Sally! And the kids love to go to all 4 parks. At the Magic Kingdom they love Space Mountain. But let me tell you about the lines. Oh – we did make use of the Fast Pass. ………and on they go telling you all about their multiple trips to Walt Disney World.

What did your friend do? Yes, he/she hijacked the conversation!

It does not matter if you have been to WDW a hundred times or if you have expertise on whatever your friend is sharing
– don’t hijack the conversation by sharing your experience, instead focus on listening and asking more questions about
their experience.

Focus on asking follow-up questions:

• Please say more about that?
• What else would you add?
• What did you think about that?
• How did that make you feel?
• How did you figure that out?
• What did you learn from this?
• How will this benefit you going forward?

Mirroring ”I am hearing you say __________.”

Simply repeat back, verbatim, what they have just shared. This really works! For example, your friend shares with you, “I am so angry! I have told my boss so many times that I can’t do my best work if she is going to micromanage me! But today again, no sooner had she assigned me a new project and she is back in my cubical, asking me what I am doing!”

You can respond by saying, “I am hearing that you are so angry. That you have told your boss so many times that you can’t
do your best work if she is going to micromanage you! But today again, no sooner had she assigned you a new project,
she was back in your cubical, asking you what you are doing.”

Your friend will not only feel heard – but she/he will feel understood by you!

Focus on giving whoever I am talking with the gift of being listened to!  I can’t fully explain it, but when I remind myself that I am giving them the gift of listening, it helps me listen better.

My goal in most conversations is to listen 70% and to talk 30%. When I am coaching, that moves up to listening 90% of the time and talking just 10%! And then immediately after any conversation or coaching session, to ask myself, “How did I do? What % of the time did I listen? What % of the time did I talk?” Knowing that I am going to ask myself those questions when the conversation is over helps me stay focused on listening.

Here is an acrostic I keep by my computer:

It reminds me to focus on listening rather than talking! “Remember that people care more about themselves than they care about you. People want to talk about themselves.

Listening and letting people talk is key to winning them over in life, in business, and in all human relationships.” — Dave Kerpen from his book, The Art of People - 11 Simple People Skills That Will…

I would love to learn from you! Email me at bob.tiede@cru.org

You have just listened and/or read “Chapter 28” from “Now That’s a Great Question.”  You can request your free download of the entire Audiobook and/or eBook by clicking HERE 

Bob Tiede

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bob has been on the staff of Cru for 52 years. He currently serves on the U.S. Leadership Development Team and is passionate about seeing leaders grow and multiply their effectiveness. Bob and his wife, Sherry, live in Plano, TX and are blessed with 4 incredible children and 8 remarkable grandchildren.

MORE RECENT POSTS

Antidote to Stress and Anxiety

Guest Post by Roy Peterson The pressure of leadership in the business and ministry world has taken its toll...

7 QUESTIONS YOU CAN USE TO HELP ANYONE DEVELOP, EVEN THE BOSS

Guest Post by Dan Rockwell Leadership is more than getting things done. Leaders bring out the best in people....

Where Were You and What Were You Doing When You Heard the News 22 Years Ago Today

Today is a Day of Remembrance!  22 years ago today, America was attacked. I am curious, if you were then...

Is Your Message Good Enough?

Guest Post by Dr. Ron Harris Note from Bob:  You can either view Dr. Ron Harris sharing his “Guest...

How to Ask Questions That Generate Possibilities

Guest Post by Keith Webb Originally published at keithwebb.com  Questions are not all equal. Some questions...

Harvard Research: Effective Leaders Use These 3 Words to Improve Performance, Teamwork, and Buy-In

Guest Post by Jeff Haden In one study, simply adding one of the three words to a sentence increased...

30 Engaging Questions to Ask Your Senior Leaders

Guest Post by Benjamin Wann Originally Posted @ BenjaminWann.com In the entire stretch of your professional...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.