Listening For More Holiday Fun!

The holiday season brings more opportunities to practice your listening skills.  Whether it’s at the office party or the family dinner, you just might find yourself sitting next to someone you don’t know well or someone you see only once a year.

Why not make every conversation more enjoyable for you and the person beside you? The two key words are ENGAGE and FUN.

ENGAGE
Eye contact – show the person they have your undivided attention

Name – use the person’s name in the conversation to give it a more personal feel

Guest – make the person feel like a special guest by really listening

Ask questions – that encourage the person to tell you more about something that interests you

Good host – focus on the person speaking, not on bringing the conversation back to you

Echo and ask – ask a question based on something the person has just said

FUN
Forget advice – avoid saying anything that sounds like advice. It’s not appropriate with someone you don’t know well (and tricky even with those you do know well)

Unbelievable – feel free to use short responses to show you’re listening, like “unbelievable” or “That’s amazing”. Make sure your comments are sincere.

No judgment – avoid any response that sounds judgmental (“I would never do that” or “Why would you think that?”). Give praise or a compliment instead.

When you really engage someone in conversation by using your listening skills, you’re giving the best gift anyone could receive this holiday season.

Happy Holidays!
Carrol Suzuki