Why Listen?

Listening was the first topic of the blog because it forms the foundation for communication. I heard a sales presentation recently that discussed impact statements. The presenter used a different name but that is what he discussed.
Am impact statement could be defined as a short statement of approximately 10 words that conveys how value is added to something. It is a great intellectual method of forming thoughts or solutions. Impact statements can address any area of life and we should think in terms of how we add value in any situation.
However, impact statements out of context add very little. That is why listening before speaking is so important. Impact statements should address how the listener can specifically and uniquely .add value to resolving issues.
Will discuss how to add value and think in terms of impact statements in a blog to follow. 

The Importance of Listening

I have been asked to start a blog by many of the people I have trained over the years with helpful tips.
So here is the first. Future blogs will contain thoughts, training tips, articles / links or other interesting information. Hope you find it useful. If you do, contact me or pass it along. 


No matter what the the situation, listening always pays back. Good listeners provide better solutions because they clearly understand the issues. Their solutions are less biased because they can stay focused on the speaker.. Good listeners ask and wait until they have enough facts to provide a great solution. They are not in a hurry to speak because they are more interested in knowing how to respond that to respond. People are more single tasked that we want to believe. It is very difficult to listen well when trying to formulate a solution or trying to speak.