{"id":11949,"date":"2010-05-08T12:18:03","date_gmt":"2010-05-08T19:18:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/?p=11949"},"modified":"2010-05-08T12:18:03","modified_gmt":"2010-05-08T19:18:03","slug":"mastering-the-art-of-active-listening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/11949\/mastering-the-art-of-active-listening\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering the Art of Active Listening"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I was in a meeting in which relevant information was disseminated yet some people just refused to LISTEN.\u00a0 I know they could hear what was being said, but for whatever reason they either chose to ignore it or don’t have the mental ability to understand (I really hope that it was the former of the two).\u00a0 This is not meant as a rant, a diatribe, a denunciation (or whatever other label can be attached), but rather as a reminder to those who hear what others say but still don’t listen.<\/p>\n

It takes much more to be a participant in a discussion than to just spout off opinions.\u00a0 To some, being a good communicator means being able to speak in public or BS’ing your way through a conversation.\u00a0 Well, actively listening is becoming a lost art.\u00a0 And let’s make clear the difference between “listening” and “hearing”.\u00a0 Hearing, in a nutshell, is having the ability to perceive sound.\u00a0 Listening, on the other hand, is understanding, interpreting, and assessing what is being said.\u00a0 Sometimes you can even see when a person stops listening, you can see the wheels turning in their head as they prepare a rebuttal and just wait for their turn to speak.<\/p>\n

Well, for those people, I have a few suggestions:<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 Start out with blank, neutral slate and let the speaker have their say;\u00a0 it might even be something that you agree with or new ideas\/information that could benefit you.\u00a0 In doing so, give them your undivided attention (yeah, that means no doodling or daydreaming, at least not for now).<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 Use non-verbal communication, it will let the speaker know that you are listening.\u00a0 Maintain eye contact (no, not in a creepy stalker way), nod and gesture as appropriately, and use body language.\u00a0 And this is much less disruptive than interrupting.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 When appropriate, ask relevant questions.\u00a0 This allows the speaker to explain their points further (in case they were not clear in their Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It takes much more to be a participant in a discussion than to just spout off opinions. To some, being a good communicator means being able to speak in public or BS’ing your way through a conversation. Well, actively listening is becoming a lost art. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[334,52],"class_list":{"0":"post-11949","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-general","7":"tag-unchained","8":"tag-web-20","10":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3403,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/3403\/project-bloodhound-marketing-into-open-hostility-blank-indifference-or-firmly-entrenched-error-how-do-you-get-people-who-already-dont-intend-to-listen-to-you-to-listen-anyway\/","url_meta":{"origin":11949,"position":0},"title":"Project Bloodhound: Marketing into open hostility, blank indifference or firmly-entrenched error: How do you get people who already don’t intend to listen to you to listen anyway?","author":"Greg Swann","date":"July 20, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I mentioned the Saturday Afternoon Marketing Circle yesterday. Richard Riccelli, Jeff Brown, Teri Lussier and I have been talking about an ugly marketing problem and how to get around it. I left off last night with this:You can't market into indifference or into firmly-established error. You can only persuade people\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marketing"","block_context":{"text":"Marketing","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/marketing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2802,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2802\/realestateradiocoms-barry-cunningham-is-going-to-show-us-all-what-it-sounds-like-when-a-big-dog-howls\/","url_meta":{"origin":11949,"position":1},"title":"RealEstateRadioUSA.com’s Barry Cunningham is going to show us all what it sounds like when a big dog howls","author":"Greg Swann","date":"March 19, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"If you're not listening to RealEstateRadioUSA.com, you're missing out on the most entertaining real estate education your money cannot buy. You can listen live at 1\/2\/3\/4pm, west to east, but the show is also available every day by MP3, so you can take \"The Barrys\" with you in the car\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogging"","block_context":{"text":"Blogging","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/blogging\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11317,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/11317\/the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is-ourselves\/","url_meta":{"origin":11949,"position":2},"title":"The Only Thing We Have to Fear, is Ourselves","author":"Sean Purcell","date":"February 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"In the field of real estate, your beliefs about yourself are just as important to your ultimate success as your knowledge and expertise. Listen to that little voice and face your fears. Not only will this open the door to a flourishing career, it will lead to a greater understanding\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Flourishing"","block_context":{"text":"Flourishing","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/flourishing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2493,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2493\/happy-new-year-dont-mind-if-i-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":11949,"position":3},"title":"Happy New Year? Don’t mind if I do.","author":"Teri Lussier","date":"January 13, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Happy New Year two weeks late? Not for me. I get a two week extension on the New Year since my birthday is tomorrow (my fave color is orange, I prefer dark chocolate, cash is always welcome)- that's a New Year to me, regardless of what that once rockin' Dick\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13743,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/13743\/unchained-melodies-an-ostensive-exposition-of-the-vital-importance-of-shit-kicker-music-to-the-maintenance-of-a-rebel-attitude\/","url_meta":{"origin":11949,"position":4},"title":"Unchained melodies: An ostensive exposition of the vital importance of shit-kicker music to the maintenance of a rebel attitude.","author":"Greg Swann","date":"December 2, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"We've been listening to Badlands Country, a rockin' kind of outlaw alt.country internet radio station. You can get it through the link above, but it should be available from just about any internet radio client. I found it first on iTunes, if that helps, and I listen to in on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Casual Friday"","block_context":{"text":"Casual Friday","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/casual-friday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4484,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/4484\/bloodhound-blog-radio-hosts-matthew-padilla\/","url_meta":{"origin":11949,"position":5},"title":"Bloodhound Blog Radio Hosts Matthew Padilla","author":"Brian Brady","date":"September 17, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you been listening to Mortgage Mondays on Bloodhound Blog Radio?\u00a0 Each Monday afternoon, at 4PM, we invite\u00a0 REALTORs to listen to and participate in our 40-60 minute \"radio broadcast\". Our guest this Monday (September 22) is Matt Padilla.\u00a0 Matt is a regular business and finance columnist with OC Register.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Interview"","block_context":{"text":"Interview","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/interview\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11949"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11955,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11949\/revisions\/11955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}