Have you ever had a problem trying to get through to what I call “a human” at one of those “big” companies that have layers upon layers of “gates” to try to get through when all you are trying to do is to do your part in getting a payment submitted, or you have a question, or something? I’m sure you have, and we all have.
Well there is hope. There are people out there, inside these big companies that truly do care and if you get to them, get their name and extension for any need that may arise in the future and you’ll need to speak to them again.
Recently, a close friend of mine who works on the inside of one of these big companies said that she had received a wonderful email extolling her virtues in getting something corrected for a client. I can’t give you her name, her company or that of the client but know that the story is indeed true and should give you hope in your persistence.
Here’s the email with only the name’s (in bold) changed; all else is accurate.
Customer Service Situation
Dear Ms (Supervisor), I recently had a problem with a customer service issue and wanted to bring this to the attention of someone in management.
After three calls to (Big Company Name) & one to my agent I was still unable to procure ANY co-operation to help with my problem, which had the potential to become a legal matter. Luckily, on my fourth call I got (Ms. Customer Service Superwoman; my friend who forwarded this to me). She was pleasant, helpful and above all, willing to listen, something completely absent from my previous calls.
She got things in motion immediately, kept me informed via follow up phone calls, and GOT THE PROBLEM SOLVED.
Far too often representatives of large companies lose track of the concept of customer service in favor of reciting the rule book. It is a rare & welcome pleasure to encounter a representative who realizes that the goal IS customer service. Your company is fortunate to have a representative such as (Ms. Customer Service Superwoman) who stepped into a bad situation that was in the process of degrading further, turned it around, and did so in a very professional manner.
Mr. Client
Client Business Name
Note that two things stand out in this message, “listen” and “customer service”. I wish I could know the name of and congratulate this client for taking the time to “reward” my friend with these kind words and thoughts. If you have any similar situations, why not let me know. Maybe you’ll see it published here. Have customer service questions or situations you need resolved? Ask me.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Want to learn how to listen effectively? Shelley's article is full of great advice and links to other sources!
I believe that the down fall to communication is the inability to listen effectively. Have you ever had the experience of talking to someone and when you finish, they ask you a question that should have already been clearly answered? In the end it leaves us feeling as if we have just wasted our time. Then we end up spending more time repeating what we have already said when we could have used that time to further discuss the topic.
Do You Want to Impress Others? Then Don’t Talk…Listen – Article by Della Menechella
www.dellamenechella.com/do_you_want_to_impress_others.htm
Della Menechella states: “Listening is an underappreciated aspect of communication. When you carefully listen to others, you impress them in ways that talking can never accomplish”.
In Della’s article she points out that it is important to show an interest in what others are talking about and to focus on others rather than ourselves. By “listening” we are showing that we have respect and appreciation for what other people have to say.
Good Communication Starts With Listening – Article by Nancy Foster
www.mediate.com/articles/foster2.cfm
In Nancy’s Article she states “To be a good listener, we must, first, pay attention”.
To show that we are listening we can use brief responses to let the speaker know that we are listening and are interested. Also the way that we use our body language is a form of nonverbal communication and a way for the speaker to tell if you are interested or paying attention.
The most important fact I feel that Nancy points out is the difference between knowing when to speak and when to just be quiet and listen. I personally liked this article.
Now Pay Attention: Here’s why you need good listening skills- Article by Dawn Rosenberg McKay
http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/miscskills/a/listening_skill.htm
Dawns article states – “Hearing is a physical ability while listening is a skill” and “Listening skills allow one to make sense of and understand what another person is saying”. The article includes some reasons as to why we should attain good listening skills in the workplace, also how to listen well, barriers to listening and how listening starts at an early age. To poses the skill of listening begins at an early age and with some effort it can improve throughout our lives. The ability to listen doesn’t come as easy to some as it might to others. There are steps that can be taken to learn the skills that can help us be effective listeners. It won’t be until we come to the realization that we lack these skills that we will actually try to change our ways.
It is very important to have good listening skills when it comes to so many of our career choices. If a Doctor or police officer doesn’t have very good listening skills how will they ever be able to respond to our needs in the correct way? Listening is an extremely important factor in the process of communication.
An important listening skill that I have come across the most would be acknowledgement. To show a speaker that we are “listening” and paying attention not only verbally but nonverbally as well shows that we care. I think that even though we might not be interested in what someone is talking about that it is common courtesy to listen. Who knows we just might learn a thing or two and walk away more knowledgeable then we were before.
Shelley Young
Do You Want to Impress Others? Then Don’t Talk…Listen – Article by Della Menechella
www.dellamenechella.com/do_you_want_to_impress_others.htm
Della Menechella states: “Listening is an underappreciated aspect of communication. When you carefully listen to others, you impress them in ways that talking can never accomplish”.
In Della’s article she points out that it is important to show an interest in what others are talking about and to focus on others rather than ourselves. By “listening” we are showing that we have respect and appreciation for what other people have to say.
Good Communication Starts With Listening – Article by Nancy Foster
www.mediate.com/articles/foster2.cfm
In Nancy’s Article she states “To be a good listener, we must, first, pay attention”.
To show that we are listening we can use brief responses to let the speaker know that we are listening and are interested. Also the way that we use our body language is a form of nonverbal communication and a way for the speaker to tell if you are interested or paying attention.
The most important fact I feel that Nancy points out is the difference between knowing when to speak and when to just be quiet and listen. I personally liked this article.
Now Pay Attention: Here’s why you need good listening skills- Article by Dawn Rosenberg McKay
http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/miscskills/a/listening_skill.htm
Dawns article states – “Hearing is a physical ability while listening is a skill” and “Listening skills allow one to make sense of and understand what another person is saying”. The article includes some reasons as to why we should attain good listening skills in the workplace, also how to listen well, barriers to listening and how listening starts at an early age. To poses the skill of listening begins at an early age and with some effort it can improve throughout our lives. The ability to listen doesn’t come as easy to some as it might to others. There are steps that can be taken to learn the skills that can help us be effective listeners. It won’t be until we come to the realization that we lack these skills that we will actually try to change our ways.
It is very important to have good listening skills when it comes to so many of our career choices. If a Doctor or police officer doesn’t have very good listening skills how will they ever be able to respond to our needs in the correct way? Listening is an extremely important factor in the process of communication.
An important listening skill that I have come across the most would be acknowledgement. To show a speaker that we are “listening” and paying attention not only verbally but nonverbally as well shows that we care. I think that even though we might not be interested in what someone is talking about that it is common courtesy to listen. Who knows we just might learn a thing or two and walk away more knowledgeable then we were before.
Shelley Young
Listening Perception by Therese Padgett
Perception is an interesting word. As speakers we always need to know how we are "perceived" by the listener. In this article, we understand that even the act of listening is perceived as hearing by some and truly understanding (or understanding better) by others. Therese shares:
Well the first point seems kind of self explanatory but maybe that is deceiving, we spend 70-80% of our waking hours in communication, so if you become a good listener you will get more out of each conversation and convey a good attitude to the speaker, you will earn the respect of the speaker and this respect will be returned to you when it is your turn to be the speaker.(1)
Always concentrate on the speaker so you can respond in kind. (1) Make sure your non verbal cues tell the speaker you are open and willing to listen, your eyes focused on the speaker, sitting slightly forward in your chair and arms and legs in an open and relaxed position. Ask pertinent questions, interject appropriate questions. (2) All important points, maybe not so self explanatory, huh?
Most all sources say the most important is to be an active listener. As a result we are able to give verification or feedback and is what distinguishes effective listening and makes it so effective.(2) Most all sources agree that if you are just going to parrot the facts back at the speaker it is not an effective conversation. Know when to turn off the active listening so when you respond it will be your message you get across. (2)
All sources I found said eye contact and empathy are very important principles of active listening. (3)
Sources:
1. www.more-for-small-business.com/1html
2. www.study9s.net/listening.htm
3. www.drnadig.com/listening.htm
Well the first point seems kind of self explanatory but maybe that is deceiving, we spend 70-80% of our waking hours in communication, so if you become a good listener you will get more out of each conversation and convey a good attitude to the speaker, you will earn the respect of the speaker and this respect will be returned to you when it is your turn to be the speaker.(1)
Always concentrate on the speaker so you can respond in kind. (1) Make sure your non verbal cues tell the speaker you are open and willing to listen, your eyes focused on the speaker, sitting slightly forward in your chair and arms and legs in an open and relaxed position. Ask pertinent questions, interject appropriate questions. (2) All important points, maybe not so self explanatory, huh?
Most all sources say the most important is to be an active listener. As a result we are able to give verification or feedback and is what distinguishes effective listening and makes it so effective.(2) Most all sources agree that if you are just going to parrot the facts back at the speaker it is not an effective conversation. Know when to turn off the active listening so when you respond it will be your message you get across. (2)
All sources I found said eye contact and empathy are very important principles of active listening. (3)
Sources:
1. www.more-for-small-business.com/1html
2. www.study9s.net/listening.htm
3. www.drnadig.com/listening.htm
“We were given two ears but only one mouth, because listening is twice as hard as talking."
Hearing is not the same as listening, as many of my clients and students point out. Understanding this concept is the start of understanding others. Here are a few thoughts from my students.
We listen to obtain information, understand, enjoyment and to learn. Without good listening skills we can miss out on very important information. When talking with your boss, clients and co-workers if you do not have good listening skills than you can not do a good job.
Thoughts move about four times faster than speech so be a good listener we need to hear correctly and precisely to understand this information and reflect it back upon the speaker.
“We were given two ears but only one mouth, because listening is twice as hard as talking."
This quote came from Larry Alan Nadig, Ph.D. He believes that active/reflective listening is the most important form of listening. This is when as a listener you repeat important information or respond to the speaker to verify that you have heard and understood what was said. This is agreed upon by many professionals as the most important form of listening.
I received information from:
www.studygs.net/listening.htm
www.drnadig.com/listening.htm
www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm
Ken Nyberg
We listen to obtain information, understand, enjoyment and to learn. Without good listening skills we can miss out on very important information. When talking with your boss, clients and co-workers if you do not have good listening skills than you can not do a good job.
Thoughts move about four times faster than speech so be a good listener we need to hear correctly and precisely to understand this information and reflect it back upon the speaker.
“We were given two ears but only one mouth, because listening is twice as hard as talking."
This quote came from Larry Alan Nadig, Ph.D. He believes that active/reflective listening is the most important form of listening. This is when as a listener you repeat important information or respond to the speaker to verify that you have heard and understood what was said. This is agreed upon by many professionals as the most important form of listening.
I received information from:
www.studygs.net/listening.htm
www.drnadig.com/listening.htm
www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm
Ken Nyberg
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Get Paid to Read Ter Scott’s NEW KINDLE BOOK: Personal PR, Getting What You Want through Better Personal Relations!
Yep, you read this right. I will pay you to read this short book on human relations. The great part is that by reading this book, it will pay you, as many books will, many times over as you use the simple straight forward techniques.
Getting paid to read my PERSONAL PR kindle book, is part of a marketing campaign I’m currently doing. To get all the details, visit: http://www.terscott.com/ . It’s right on the first page of my site in the blue box. You will also see a place to click to hear an abbreviated version of when I presented it to Toastmasters International some time back; it’s a 5 -7 minute presentation I customize and use when I speak at meetings and conventions. The book is based on this award winning speech.
So, visit http://www.terscott.com/ right now while the marketing campaign is running and tell your friends too.
Make it a great day!
Ter Scott!
Bricks to Clicks Marketing Consultant
Getting paid to read my PERSONAL PR kindle book, is part of a marketing campaign I’m currently doing. To get all the details, visit: http://www.terscott.com/ . It’s right on the first page of my site in the blue box. You will also see a place to click to hear an abbreviated version of when I presented it to Toastmasters International some time back; it’s a 5 -7 minute presentation I customize and use when I speak at meetings and conventions. The book is based on this award winning speech.
So, visit http://www.terscott.com/ right now while the marketing campaign is running and tell your friends too.
Make it a great day!
Ter Scott!
Bricks to Clicks Marketing Consultant
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Listening Skills are Important in all Professions
Student Katherine Stordahl offers a brief synopsis on her take about Listening Perception with some great resources.
Listening is so important in many professions?
Because when you look at highly accomplished individuals, No matter what their profession is, you will see that they are excellent listeners. Even the ones are leaders in their field have outstanding listening skills. If you watch how CEOs of large corporation, Presidents, and political leaders. You’ll see how carefully they pay attention to what others are saying. Just like how you would use good listening skills when it comes to family. You may need to take the lead.
Which specific listening skill seems to be agreed upon as most important is to give the speaker your undivided attention, and acknowledge the message.
http://www.guruhabits.com/
http://www.mindtools.com/
Katherine Stordahl
Listening is so important in many professions?
Because when you look at highly accomplished individuals, No matter what their profession is, you will see that they are excellent listeners. Even the ones are leaders in their field have outstanding listening skills. If you watch how CEOs of large corporation, Presidents, and political leaders. You’ll see how carefully they pay attention to what others are saying. Just like how you would use good listening skills when it comes to family. You may need to take the lead.
Which specific listening skill seems to be agreed upon as most important is to give the speaker your undivided attention, and acknowledge the message.
http://www.guruhabits.com/
http://www.mindtools.com/
Katherine Stordahl
Ter Scott Shares Another Article About Listening Perception:
Here is another well written article by one of my students, Shane Linge, writing about resources to find good information about Listening Perception:
According to an article posted at http://www.infoplease.com/homework/listeningskills1.html, there are three basic steps to good listening. These three steps include hearing, understanding, and judging. The article goes further to explain that hearing what is being said, and being able to repeat it, is considered hearing. After we listen to what was said, we follow up by interpreting what we heard into meaning, or understanding. After that we judge the information we have received and decide for ourselves whether or not we agree. The article lists a few other tips following the basics, I recommend visiting their site to get some good ideas.
There is another article about listening skills that can be found at http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm. This article offers some pointers on how you can become an active listener. The five specific tips they provide are; pay attention, show that you are listening, defer judgment, provide feedback, and to respond appropriately. This article offers some really good information on this subject, and even provides a link for a “tool-kit” to use at your disposal.
I found an article at http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/ss_listening.html that offers some listening advice to students in particular. It offers some basic information to help students to get more from their lectures by practicing some good listening skills. Some of the skills they cover include keeping eye contact with your instructor, avoiding distractions, and asking yourself mental questions throughout the lecture. I found some good information in this article, and recommend visiting this site for some more information.
Why is listening perceived to be important in so many professions? Simply put, if you don’t get every amount of information you can from what is being presented to you, you will lack in your job performance as a result.
Which specific listening skills seem to be agreed upon as being most important? I would have to say that from the articles that I chose to read after searching the topic, which the most important skills each article mentions would include hearing, understanding what was received, and making a decision from the information.
Shane Linge
Works Cited:
http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/ss_listening.html
http://www.infoplease.com/homework/listeningskills1.html
http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm
According to an article posted at http://www.infoplease.com/homework/listeningskills1.html, there are three basic steps to good listening. These three steps include hearing, understanding, and judging. The article goes further to explain that hearing what is being said, and being able to repeat it, is considered hearing. After we listen to what was said, we follow up by interpreting what we heard into meaning, or understanding. After that we judge the information we have received and decide for ourselves whether or not we agree. The article lists a few other tips following the basics, I recommend visiting their site to get some good ideas.
There is another article about listening skills that can be found at http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm. This article offers some pointers on how you can become an active listener. The five specific tips they provide are; pay attention, show that you are listening, defer judgment, provide feedback, and to respond appropriately. This article offers some really good information on this subject, and even provides a link for a “tool-kit” to use at your disposal.
I found an article at http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/ss_listening.html that offers some listening advice to students in particular. It offers some basic information to help students to get more from their lectures by practicing some good listening skills. Some of the skills they cover include keeping eye contact with your instructor, avoiding distractions, and asking yourself mental questions throughout the lecture. I found some good information in this article, and recommend visiting this site for some more information.
Why is listening perceived to be important in so many professions? Simply put, if you don’t get every amount of information you can from what is being presented to you, you will lack in your job performance as a result.
Which specific listening skills seem to be agreed upon as being most important? I would have to say that from the articles that I chose to read after searching the topic, which the most important skills each article mentions would include hearing, understanding what was received, and making a decision from the information.
Shane Linge
Works Cited:
http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/ss_listening.html
http://www.infoplease.com/homework/listeningskills1.html
http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm
Ter Scott offers article about Listening Perception
Today I'm sharing a brief article by one of my student/clients Kari Anderson. Here she speaks about "Listening Perception"
Listening is the most important skill that the human has. To hear is simply not enough. To listen, one puts thought behind everything they hear. By listening, you will learn a lot and know exactly what type of response you should make.
To listen means three things:
• Hear
• Understand
• Judge/process
In order to be a good listener, all three of the above are needed to be sure you are a great listener. If a person is telling you about a situation that is very important to them, such as if they have lost a loved one, you would want to be sure you are listening to what they are saying as you would not want to respond by simply saying “I see”. The person you are speaking with will consider you not very kind and not meeting their expectations of needed a shoulder to lean on in a difficult time.
For a person to become a good listener there is a list of things that one should learn to do.
• Focus on the speaker and stay focused. If you become distracted, you will not hear all that is being said.
• Make sure the speaker/person is done speaking before you give an opinion or answer.
• Listen for the main points of what is being said
• Ask questions, if there is something you are not understanding you will not be able to respond correctly
• Give feedback in the correct way. Make sure you have eye contact with the speaker, nod here and there to show you are “following along” it is a show of attentiveness and facial expressions are needed to show the speaker that you are following along/paying attention.
When you are listening to someone speak, try to not become emotionally involved. It can hamper your responses if you view the speaker’s topic on an emotional level.
Nearly 80% of the top-level North American executives believe that listening skills are extremely important. To listen is to communicate and communication is a huge part of the business world. When a business is making financial decisions, they need to know that all has been heard and the thought process can begin on what their next move will be.
In my own opinion, I believe that listening skills is something that needs to begin at birth and continue. To be a good listener will get you further in life in all areas.
“God gave us 1 mouth and 2 ears as he knew it would be harder to listen than to speak!”
Kari Anderson
Listening is the most important skill that the human has. To hear is simply not enough. To listen, one puts thought behind everything they hear. By listening, you will learn a lot and know exactly what type of response you should make.
To listen means three things:
• Hear
• Understand
• Judge/process
In order to be a good listener, all three of the above are needed to be sure you are a great listener. If a person is telling you about a situation that is very important to them, such as if they have lost a loved one, you would want to be sure you are listening to what they are saying as you would not want to respond by simply saying “I see”. The person you are speaking with will consider you not very kind and not meeting their expectations of needed a shoulder to lean on in a difficult time.
For a person to become a good listener there is a list of things that one should learn to do.
• Focus on the speaker and stay focused. If you become distracted, you will not hear all that is being said.
• Make sure the speaker/person is done speaking before you give an opinion or answer.
• Listen for the main points of what is being said
• Ask questions, if there is something you are not understanding you will not be able to respond correctly
• Give feedback in the correct way. Make sure you have eye contact with the speaker, nod here and there to show you are “following along” it is a show of attentiveness and facial expressions are needed to show the speaker that you are following along/paying attention.
When you are listening to someone speak, try to not become emotionally involved. It can hamper your responses if you view the speaker’s topic on an emotional level.
Nearly 80% of the top-level North American executives believe that listening skills are extremely important. To listen is to communicate and communication is a huge part of the business world. When a business is making financial decisions, they need to know that all has been heard and the thought process can begin on what their next move will be.
In my own opinion, I believe that listening skills is something that needs to begin at birth and continue. To be a good listener will get you further in life in all areas.
“God gave us 1 mouth and 2 ears as he knew it would be harder to listen than to speak!”
Kari Anderson
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