There is what we say. And there is what we mean. The vast majority of the time, what we say and what we’re trying to say are not the same thing. It’s not that we’re attempting to hide something. To the contrary, most of us are trying, to the best of our ability, to insure […]
Listening As Strategy – Listening To Reply
We’ve all been on the receiving end of someone listening to reply. Unless, of course, you’ve never listened to a politician answer questions. Our esteemed leaders are expert at listening to reply. Only they don’t call it “listening to reply.” They call it “sticking to their talking points.” A question asked to a politician is […]
Listening As Strategy – Listening For Reinforcement
“Still a man hears what he wants to hear. And disregards the rest.” – Paul Simon, The Boxer. Like it or not, we all probably fall into this listening strategy from time to time. We turn off our critical thinking skills and listen, intently, only for those things that reinforce positions we already hold. We […]
Listening As Strategy – Not Listening
Not listening is one of the most common and valuable listening strategies. Not listening, or “selective hearing” is the most basic of all listening skills. It is how we’re able to focus on the person we’re sitting with in a crowded restaurant, even though multiple conversations are taking place around us. We filter out what […]
Has Twitter Really Changed How WE Communicate?
5 ways Twitter changed how we communicate: 1: Made a fast flow of information faster. 2:Removed the celebrity filter 3: Created “thought leaders” 4: Strengthened the “second screen” 5: (Over)simplified the conversation via CNN.com. This leaves me wondering who the “we” they refer to really is. As we celebrate Twitter’s 5th birthday, and I approach my […]
Listening As Strategy – Slides
As is the case with most of my presentation slides, they don’t necessarily make a ton of sense without the sound associated with them. I use slides as concept placeholders, predominantly. I want them to be visually interesting and compliment what’s being said. So, posting them here is less about conveying the message of the […]