We’ve all heard of the game “Simon Says.” Simon says look up, you look up. Simon says clap you clap. I say blink, you don’t blink. Taking into consideration that you’re probably reading this article; we get the idea that verbal queues are very important to communicate.
Eleven years ago, Sound Expert Julian Treasure explained how we spend roughly 60% of our time listening. Out of this 60%, we only retain 25% of the information. These numbers must’ve significantly reduced in the past few years when people can communicate emotions out of a single emoji on WhatsApp.
But listening is still very much in demand solely since it’s a dying skill. Simply put, the skill of listening is communicating with sound but doing it effectively. In various use case scenarios, listening skills are a great asset to provide training on negotiation skills and are essential for sales negotiation skills.
We have put together 5 simple steps as to how you can become a better listener with practice -
1. Maintain eye contact:
Confidence is definitely an important part of this step but maintaining eye contact is not as easy as it sounds. One of the most important lessons from negotiation training is to maintain eye contact to maintain your stance in the conversation.
It's hard to engage someone in conversation while they are looking around the room, at a computer screen, or out the window. It shows the amount of undivided attention you have when you are talking to them and vice versa. In the same way, maintaining eye contact helps the speaker to voice out his opinion a lot more effectively; reducing distractions.
A successful negotiation always starts with listening clearly and maintaining enough knowledge about what is being spoken.
2. Pay Attention:
Great! Now that you are maintaining eye contact, it’s now time to pay attention to what the speaker is saying. Paying attention with listening skills includes being present, making sure you reciprocate and provide your insights on the same. Distracting factors like background noise and activity should be mentally blocked out. Additionally, make an effort to avoid becoming distracted by the speaker's accent or speaking patterns.
Some amazing negotiating training courses help you identify key points in how to engage the speaker in a successful negotiation.
3. Don’t interrupt:
Ever heard about keeping your questions or doubts to the end? Part of good listening skills is to avoid any kind of interruptions. We see this trend where several people interrupt on spot when they want to make a point or clarify something but what this does is it destroys the speaker’s chain of thought. This also hampers your leverage during a successful negotiation.
Some of the key points from Negotiation Skills Training is that these interruptions could send out the wrong message and also disable any kind of fruitful talks with the opposite person.
Each of us speaks and thinks at a different pace. If you are a quick thinker and a fast talker, slow down for those who have difficulty expressing themselves.
4. Acknowledge what was said:
After the person has finished speaking, make sure you acknowledge what they said. If they were talking about red cars, make sure you first provide your views on red cars before continuing to express yourself.
Successful negotiation often adds this as acknowledging the other person’s views before moving on to your point. The skill of listening depends on how much you are able to listen and take in.
5. Summarize to stay on the same page:
Alright, it was a successful negotiation and we are all on the same page. Are we? Never leave anything to ambiguity. Make sure you summarize the conversation at the end so that the opposite person is on the same page. The key to perfect negotiation skills is to make sure that everyone is on board with the idea rather than having any surprises later.
Scotwork is offering the most advanced negotiation training in the industry. Along with listening skills, industry proven negotiation skills training could help you find your niche in the industry. Industry leaders from various industries have joined the programme and have effectively improved the way their sales negotiation skills have been improved.