Hit The Mute Button

READY… “A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why aren't we like that wise old bird?” ~ Anonymous

AIM… A friend of mine recently had an experience where she was trying to explain a difficult situation to a gal on the phone from another company. The other gal kept interrupting her and simply wasn’t getting the gist of the scenario my friend was trying to help her understand. At that moment, when she was most frustrated and the lady on the other end of the line was starting to get belligerent, my friend wished she could just reach across the phone line and hit her mute button. Then the other woman couldn’t be heard anymore and would have no other choice but to listen to my friend’s instructions and truly hear the points she was missing.

Effective communication is SO important in our daily lives. We must remember that being a good communicator isn’t always being a good talker or being the chattiest; being a good listener is even more important. If only we would remember to be a good listener first, perhaps our conversations with our family, friends, co-workers and even those pesky bill collectors would be less volatile and kinder because we properly HEARD what they wanted to say, before we responded in defense. Next time you are having a heated discussion and wish you could hit the mute button, pause and just listen to the other person; then ask him to please listen to you completely before he makes any comments in return. More than likely, you will have both calmed down and effective communication will be achieved.

FIRE!   Be an excellent listener. The next time someone wants to tell you a story, stop and really listen to him; look him in the eyes and give him your full attention. Let him tell you all the details before you even make a remark. He will definitely feel your care and concern, and you will be amazed at how much of the world you have been missing.

Be Excellent!
Lori