WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE ART OF LISTENING ?

    Being in sales, I deal with all types of people. Broadcasting in itself is very ego driven. From Disc Jockeys to Programmers, to owners and Engineers. Most of them have a slightly elevated opinion of them selves.

    I was on the phone with a station owner the other day and was trying to give him some advice based upon my forty four years in the industry. At every turn he interrupted. It did not take Captain Obvious long to realize that this person was not at all interested in what I had to say. It was impossible to get my point across so I gave up.  AND he started the conversation with "What do you think I should do............? If you don't want my advice, then don't ask for it!!
   
    I realized that we are all the same. We would rather talk then listen. We all love to hear the sound of our own voices.

    I got to thinking. 'What ever happened to the art of listening'?
   
    The  other day I was listening as two women spoke to each other. Almost every sentence was 'cut off' by the other one starting to talk. How can you listen when you are talking? How do you keep track of the content of  the conversation??  Woman claim they can do both. For some reason, I can not. Sometimes they were both talking at the same time.

    I find myself doing the same thing, as do all the people around me. It's hard to complete a sentence when you are constantly 'interrupted'. Does the other person feel that what they have to say is more important than what I am saying?

    Are we all that self absorbed that we don't really care what the other person is
saying?   

    Successful listening takes work. There are many resources on the web to help you accomplish better listening. Let your favorite search engine be your guide.

    The simplest solution I found is "Listen more than you talk." Simply put, "SHUT UP."

    Perhaps if you are listening, you can pay more attention to what the other person is saying. What a great concept this is.   

    Here is your assignment for the week. 'Shut the hell up.' That's it. Simple.

    You might surprise yourself. You may learn more, and have better conversations.