How much time gets wasted because instructions were misheard or requests weren’t heard at all? Or because you walked away from a meeting under the impression you knew what to do next, but then realized later that, apparently, you hadn’t been listening after all?
Listening well isn’t that easy to do. Especially in this day of epidemic ADD, any activity that requires silent, protracted attention tends to suffer. However, listening is a pretty important skill. Brush up on yours with tips from Family Circle.
“Research shows that we speak at 125 to 150 words per minute, yet think at 500 words a minute,” according to the article. Wow, no wonder it’s hard for us to slow down and really attend to a speaker.
I think Tip #3: (make eye contact) is a good one for re-establishing attention after you’ve drifted off. When I look someone in the eye and they look back, it’s hard to be anywhere else but the present.
And another tip: just as writing something down helps you remember it, taking notes during a meeting can help you pay better attention to what the speaker’s saying.
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In my haste to get this post out, I neglected to mention that I discovered the Family Circle article via a post on Daily PlanIt. Sorry, Daily!
And I discovered DP via Chris Brogan's (The Man Who Never Sleeps) Life Hack Community.
Posted by: Claire Tompkins | September 19, 2006 8:02 PM | Permalink to Comment