How much of your daily business is conducted through emails and text messages? How many of your daily purchases involve a click of a mouse, rather than face to face communication? According to Dr. Albert Mehrabian, only 7% of our communication relies on the words spoken. With these two perspectives in mind, how well are we communicating in today’s business world?
The Michigan Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds invited me to be their Key Note Speaker on this subject at their 45th Conference and Expo on March 19, 2018, held at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort. As owners and managers, you spend at least forty percent of your day listening to gain information. We retain approximately 25% of what is said to us. Additionally, studies show that we forget one-half to one-third of what we hear within eight hours of the conversation. How do you overcome these statistics? Solutions include learning to use active listening, non-judgmental communication, empathy, and open-ended questions. Active listening requires that the listener fully concentrate, understand, respond and then remember what is being said. When was the last time you used active listening in your business meetings? The attendees at this conference enjoyed learning about these skills while discussing these issues in their workplace.
When was the last time you practiced your listening skills to improve the performance of your company?
