In reading Liz Lynch’s post about being a good listener, I was reminded of how incredibly significant being a good listener is. You certainly know people who are excellent listeners and those that are not.
I laughed at the following quote from her post:
“When they talk, it’s their moment, give them the space to shine. Resist the urge to be their color commentator. It’s annoying, for example, when a friend starts saying, “I was on a plane to Salt Lake City last week when…,” and you jump in with a personal trivia nugget, “Oh, Salt Lake City, that’s such a great place for skiing. It reminds me of the time I…” In other words, leave the pop-up video commentary to VH1.”
I do that…yikes. Time to stop inputting my VH1 commentary.
Liz also talks about sharing information as a way of being a good listener.
“Actively read the blogs and status updates of your network, review their tweets, and share your reactions. Even better is to find opportunities to forward links to their content to your own network to help get their message in front of more people.”
Today, people are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. They update their profiles, add photos, and share information about themselves freely. They want to be heard! This makes it easier than ever before to listen. The best way to hear them, according to Liz is to respond/acknowledge and forward along. The reason this information has been updated in the first place is so that it will be acknowledged and circulated (i.e. heard).
I still find this social networking stuff a little egocentric, hey, but that’s where we are, so I am going with it for now.
Being heard feels so good. By being a good listener, you send a message that you care as well as make others feel good!
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
