Thursday, January 18, 2007

Don't be a "think past your idea - my turn now" person

Don't be a "think past your idea - my turn now" person. At the very least be perceived as someone who is listening. That means the person speaking thinks you're hearing them and trying to understand what they're saying. You're waiting to hear what they have to say before you respond. You're giving their point / story /argument adequate consideration before you race past the message and go on to your own thinking and speaking agenda. Don't appear to have your next idea and a set of urgent words on your lips when people are speaking to you; as if you're quite anxious for them to stop talking so you can have your turn.

I think you know people who do this. Watch for it next time you're in a conversation. It could be that you do this all the time so you're also less aware when others are doing it to you. After all, you're busy preparing while this is going on and you're anxious for the other person to finish. If both people have this trait, it is likely that neither one of them is aware. It's actually quite common - especially for bright minded people - to behave this way. The witty and the quick among us process things faster and they often race ahead. Some awareness can be quite helpful. If you sell for a living or manage people (we all do in some way - don't kid yourself), consider this idea and develop your awareness. When you slow down you'll be surprised how useful this is.

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