Do you ever feel like people are not listening to you? That no matter how many times you repeat yourself, or bring up a good idea, your co-workers, family or friends, don’t seem to hear it until it comes out of somebody else’s mouth?
Trying to penetrate the listening filters of others can feel impossible at times. Yet, there are few things you can do that will give you a better chance of being heard. Start by calling the person by name. Hearing our first name naturally commands our attention. Then consider using a qualifier. Qualifiers help convey that what we are sharing is important, useful, or valuable. They are phrases like, “I think this will be of interest to you,” or “I just found out something that is important to the project”.
Once you have their attention, make sure what you say is relevant to the listener and eliminate words or phrases that don’t matter. There are only so many bits of information the challenged listener will absorb. Be direct, concise, and compelling to get your message across.