Listening may be the most important part of communications. Words, tone, gestures, and inflections can affect its overall message, adding nuances and emphases that should be noted. Body language adds another dimension – sometimes adding to, limiting, or altering the overall message. Listeners must be astute enough to note what’s not said – this can add further meaning or context to a message. This last element is often missed in the rush to either complete an interaction or move on to what’s next. It can be helpful for the listener to silently think “but” at the end of a conversation – helping to imagine what might not have been said. Also helpful is to say to the speaker “that’s interesting” or “tell me more” – this may prompt the speaker to add what was initially unspoken. That said (no pun intended), sports and work teams often develop a sixth sense about reading or sensing unspoken messages that enhances teamwork, something that can be extremely useful. Either way, participants in communications should listen with all their senses and take time to process all that occurs in and around a conversation to ensure getting everything. Interestingly, I worked with two colleagues who previously had been poker champions – both spoke carefully, clearly, and completely and I learned that with them, nothing intended was left unsaid nor did their communications include gestures or body language. But communications with nearly everyone else requires hearing what ins't being said. Listen carefully and pay close attention to any communications you’re involved in today.
Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005): Austrian American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of modern management theory.
Learn more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Drucker
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