Comments on: The New Listening

By: Frank Reed

Frank Reed — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 05:41:11 +0000

Thanks for coming by everyone. I am trying to be a better listener all around and it takes real effort!

No wonder my wife and kids spend so much time rolling their eyes.

By: Simon Mason

Simon Mason — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:31:19 +0000

I think part of being a good listener involves giving helpful feedback. By this I mean leaving a comment or sending a tweet that moves the conversation on or adds something to it.

I agree with you about asking questions – if you disagree with something you read in a blog, question it or make an arguement against it – don’t leave a useless put down i.e. “this is rubbish”.

Finally to be a good listener I recommend reading any blog post you are going to comment on at least twice – it’s amazing what you can miss in the first quick scan.

Thanks for the post Frank – good listening online is a skill we all need to develop.

By: Danny Brown

Danny Brown — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:22:28 +0000

One of the funny things about not listening properly is that you end up saying something completely pointless that has no relevance to the conversation.

So even the egotists that absolutely must have the last word would do themselves a favour by listening more.

Cheers Frank – you’re always worth listening to, fella.

By: Deb

Deb — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:14:10 +0000

I have to catch myself to see if I’m really listening – or just waiting for a quiet moment to say what I want to say. That’s first.

Then I am a newspaper reporter at heart – it’s how I write. So asking questions is a foreign concept to me (in writing). I like to give information (after all the research is done). How am I shorting myself by writing my blog/twitter posts like this?

Step. away. from. the. screen. It is so easy to follow links given in twitter – and next thing you know, 4 hours have passed. I am putting twitter into my schedule. Giving it a time frame. I’ll let you know if that works.

The advice about reading emotion into a post is spot on. Often, people type one thing – and readers hear another! I like the idea of hugging someone. Thanks!

@debworks

By: Lewis Faulkner

Lewis Faulkner — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:13:48 +0000

How right you are!

In business and pleasure, I can think of numerous times when I’ve wondering if I made someone mad because they didn’t respond to an email, or the perceived emotion in an email. Usually, they’re busy, don’t control their spam filter, or communicate with words in a way that is confusing when you see only their text. How much info is contained in non-verbal! Have mercy on people. Give them the benefit of the doubt. If you’re still not sure about the emotion, call them. This has solved 99% of my issues.

Listening is something I’m working on hard. I think it comes from not being cenetered and comfortable with yourself, mostly, and you feel obligated to burst in and tell other people how things are, or change them, or teach them, or correct them. From your point of view, of course.

Amazing that frank thinking is revolving around some of the same issues. Thanks for the insight!