Conversations, we all have them but why do some people get more from them than others? Both socially, and in a business context, the way your contribution to a conversation is approached determines its outcome. As this is a business blog I’ll concentrate on that but comparisons can be drawn with other walks of life too – including using social media.
The way you express yourself in a career conversation or during your attendance at a networking event is key to what happens next. We’ve all heard the one about we’ve got 2 ears and 1 mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. However it’s really more about what sort of listener you are.
Listening purely waiting to make your point is not really listening at all. A true listener is someone who wants to learn something and understand how others think so make sure that that understanding is in place before trying to take things further.
A favourite quote of mine is ‘wise people speak because they have something to say but fools speak because they have to say something.’ To paraphrase don’t just speak to fill in the gaps in a conversation but when you’ve got something constructive to say. Great listening leads to great conversation and that leads to great communication which can be measured by body language not only words so make sure you are really taking notice and you’ll reap the benefit.
If you’d like to try out your conversational skills please book a place at one of our upcoming networking meetings via our events page
Thank you for listening.