The other day I was talking with a friend and she told me of an experience she was having in life.
I said confidently, “Yes, I think I know exactly what you’re talking about.”
I then related what I thought was a similar experience from my life and then asked, “Is that what you meant?”
She responded with, “uhhhh, yes, sort of,” and then went on to explain what she had really meant, the meaning of which had been totally lost on me the first time she explained it.
Funny thing about communication is that all too often we can be listening intently and still not hear what the other person is meaning to communicate.
This is why good communication seems to require the listener to not just listen, but to actively listen, asking questions along the way.
Imagine a baseball pitcher (the sender of the message) throwing a ball (the message) to the catcher behind the plate (the receiver of the message).
How well would this process work if the catcher didn’t adjust the position of the catchers glove to account for variations in the landing locations of the ball.
Or worse, imagine the catcher taking off the glove and flopping down on the ground as if to take a nap.
Wouldn’t work right?
Likewise, when listening to someone – a prospect, customer, spouse, child, whomever, we need to have our glove on and up, ready to move and catch the message in order for good communication to take place.
Ironically, a listening ear, requires more than an ear.
For best results, the mouth must also be used strategically to enhance the listening process to make sure the message is caught.