Listen Up Part II

November 8, 2009|Mary Jane Copps
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I was reminded of something this week that relates to our listening skills. Many of you will remember when the internet was a new thing in our business lives. Suddenly (or at least that’s what it felt like) we were encountering a new language and both our listening and transcribing skills had to go through a transition period. Can you think back to the first few times someone gave you an email address and you had to write it down? I remember it clearly. I felt like I was being asked to write down something in a foreign language. For both websites and email, there was a learning curve or a practice period where I continually said “I’m sorry, can you repear that?” and then “Let me read this back to you to make sure I wrote it down correctly.” I remember dreading the moment someone would insist on giving me their email address. Imagine! Today it is a natural thing to quickly jot down an email adress, complex or not. It simply took practice. So if your listening skills are preventing you from picking up the phone, it is time to put that excuse aside. Doing your “phone work” is the only way your skill set will ever improve so … get dialling!

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