Are You Listening to Hear or Listening to Speak?
The following quote is from Ernest Hemingway. It addresses a phenomenon which is on the rise. People don´t listen anymore.
People tend to listen to talk instead of listen to hear. A good listener, listen until the speaker has finished and at the same time observing the speakers body language.
"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen."
- Ernest Hemingway
You can learn a lot from and about a person if you observe and listen carefully. This applies both 1-to-1 and in plenum. So my humble advice is to take a second and try to listen for real.
I encounter the opposite several times during my day job as well as on my digital desktop. I see a tendency to push information people do not want instead of providing real honest value to the right target audience for your niche.
Do you know your niche and target audience? And do you listen to talk or listen to hear?
Tell me what you do!
Roy
Recent Comments
23
Right you are, Roy!
In medical school they teach you how to be a good listener, which is an absolutely vital part of taking a good medical history. If you let patients talk and listen closely they will tell you what’s wrong with them.
Marketing the wrong product to the wrong person is just as counterproductive a use of time and resources.
Well said, Roy! Unfortunately, I tend to interrupt and interject a lot--I need to get better about that!
Jeff
Thank you, Jeff. It is also about being active in the listening process, as it is a two-way form of communication.
Roy
Roy, hit the nail on the head there. I have never thought of it that way before but you are spot on. I can see an attitude change in me coming on. Thank you.
Bux
A very powerful quote. You are right! It certainly applies to online marketing.
I listen because I know people want a response based on what they say, not what I think they will say.
Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you Roy. We need to be reminded to listen well regularly.
Reacting to what we hear is a natural subconscious process that developed long before language was a thing.
Active listening requires the engagement of conscious awareness which is a relatively unnatural state for most people, most of the time.
We all do it some of the time, but certainly need to be reminded, or very well practised from developing the habit consistently over a long time.
Richard
Richard, thank you for a great elaboration on how to listen. It describes the process of listening very well 😃.
Roy