Women listen better than men. As a Chrysler Store service advisor, I heard this often during the training workshops. As a man, I had to ask myself if this was true. This could be a serious handicap for me in business if this was true, and I did nothing about it. It could have serious consequences for me as a social media coach as well.
What is it about men that they don’t listen like women? I believe that men listen long enough to formulate an answer, and try to speak it out. Women tend to listen until the speaker is finished, and then give an answer. This is a board statement and I know that it does not apply to all cases. It was what I was taught.
Personally, I force myself to wait before I answer these days. This was quite hard at first. It has made be a better listener today. I now listen before I try to solve the problem. I make sure I have all the facts before speaking. This works well for me with social media too. I listen and then I act. I actually learned this principle at Chrysler. Back then, it was called LEA. Short for Listen, Emphasize and Act.
My personal business coach reminded me one day that I still need to improve my listening skills. We were having a conversation. I was saying “Yeah” in the conversation as she spoke. She said I was not really listening when I was saying that. I forced myself to listen and stopped saying “Yeah”. Today, I make sure I try to listen well to all my conversations.
So are we really hearing what our customers are saying? We have to really practice hard to hear others well. When our customers know we are straining hard to hear what they are saying, they will appreciate it. After all, everyone yearns to be heard. I am working hard to make my listening skills better. What hinders you from listening better?
