Imagine a time you were given the chance to shine, to demonstrate your strengths, and given an opportunity to explore your powers even further. You influence people and get a taste of how excellent you are and can be. Such is the power of the spotlight and active listening.
Being interested and listening actively to your friend is a powerful technique you can use to up your conversation skills. Simply nodding your head or even occasionally grunting in assent will show acknowledgement. Easy way to remember this:
Acknowledgement is the first of three components to active listening. The second step is to come up with softening statements and follow-up questions. The third and most important component to active listening is to see how you can help…and then offer that help! Offer your connections and your knowledge and you’ve created a lot of rapport with your friend.
You can even turn this into a game; social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk suggests that every single conversation can be a game…and the first one to ask for help loses. So aim to be the one who can offer help first, and this will be a win-win for you!
Thanks for tuning into the show. Stay tuned, and stay awesome!
