Kababayan LA18 TV(Los Angeles, USA)Are you interested in increasing your business profits? Here’s how honing your listening skills can boost the bottom line. January 6, 2010Jannelle So: David, you know we’ve talked about so many things here on this show. We’ve talked about recession proof your marriage. We’ve talked about gossip. We’ve talked about talking to your kids, how to relate to them. We’ve talked about a lot of things and there’s one point in all those conversations, all those topics that stick to me and that is listening, the power of listening. So I think this is a good way to have just one segment devoted to listening, the power of listening and its impact on your profits. What can you say about that?David Cunningham: Well in business really people have always thought that what has their business succeed or thrive is what they say to other people and what we’re finding out that equally important to what you say is how you listen, how you listen to your customers, how you listen to your clients, how you listen to your employees. That is a key factor in having your business thrive.Jannelle So: So you’re saying that business won’t succeed unless you know how to listen or you’re a good listener?David Cunningham: It’s as equally as important as what you say.Jannelle So: Okay, good. So then we need that and we want tips from you. How do we perfect the art of listening?David Cunningham: Well the first thing is to practice being present, really listening. A lot of times when we’re talking to people we’re preoccupied with something else or sometimes we have something we’re worried about so we’re thinking about that instead of listening. Sometimes we have something we want to say so we’re just waiting for our turn to say it.Jannelle So: Exactly. Exactly. David Cunningham: Or sometimes we have an agenda and we’re trying to get something done with the person or sometimes we’re actually doing something else like doing a text or something –Jannelle So: Oh especially now. Yes texting or tweeting or checking your e-mail on your Blackberry. Yes, yes, yes.David Cunningham: Multi-tasking we call it, right? But all of that has us not really paying attention to what the other person says and if we don’t pay attention to what the other person says we can miss what’s really important to them and we can miss the opportunity for really good communication.Jannelle So: In terms of paying attention do we only just pay attention to what they’re talking about? Sometimes they say, I’ve heard maybe from you, I can’t remember, but you also pay attention to the facial expression, to the body language.David Cunningham: Mmm-hmm. Yeah, you’re just making sure that the person has your full attention and if they know that they have their full attention they can really be in communication with you and work out anything that they need to work out with you.Jannelle So: Another tip from you is notice what you add to what’s said. How do you explain that?David Cunningham: When somebody’s talking to us we’re actually thinking to ourselves about what they’re saying. So every time somebody’s talking to us while they’re talking we’re actually talking to ourselves also about what they’re saying. So we add things to what they say. So for instance, if a client says, “Boy that brought – you got me that shipment late,” we might add to that something like, “Uh-oh, they’re going to cancel the account,” or if somebody says, “Hey I have an idea for you,” we might add to that, “Oh they don’t think I can – I’m good at my own ideas.”Jannelle So: Right and that’s negative.David Cunningham: That’s – well here’s what happens is we then respond not to what they said but to what we added about what they said. Then we’re not really in communication.Jannelle So: Right, right. Because then we already react to what we think they’re saying.David Cunningham: Which is not really what they’re saying.Jannelle So: Oh wow. Okay, yeah well that makes sense. Tip number three, this is a little vague for me. Really get the communication. How do you get the communication?David Cunningham: Well a lot of times again when people speak to us we – if we’re adding something to what they’re saying or we’re not really paying attention we miss what they really have to say. So what works is to feed it back to them. Sometimes they say something and just go, “Okay, this is what you said, isn’t it,” or, “This is what you want me to understand.” Now here’s a really important part. Sometimes they’re concerned about something we’re not concerned about. So we invalidate their concern. So suppose my boss said to me, “Well it’s really important that this is done neatly,” but getting it done neatly isn’t that important to me. I want to get it done fast.Jannelle So: It’s not your concern. Right.David Cunningham: Then what I do is I don’t pay attention that he said that. I just pay attention to the part that’s important to me.Jannelle So: Oh and it gets you into trouble.David Cunningham: It does. So you have to pay attention to what’s important to them at the same time.Jannelle So: Why is it important? Can you give specific reasons why it’s important to listen especially in the realm of the office or in the realm of business?David Cunningham: Well because how things really get done is in partnership with people. So we rarely get things done by ourselves. We always are getting things done with other people. So the more we’re in effective communication with people the more we can get done and that’s how come the bottom line goes up.Jannelle So: And so the more important thing about being in communication with people is also being able to listen to what they’re saying. Thank you so much for giving us those valuable tips. Thank you so much.David Cunningham: Great.
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