Graham Bodie is a listening educator and consultant. He teaches on the topic of listening at university, conducts research and writes publications. Graham is also a coach and consultant in listening to the business world. He co-authored ‘The Sourcebook of Listening Research’.

Graham’s credits his father for some of his listening skills. In conversations, he might not say a lot, but in his silent listening drank everything in and then said something insightful.

He points out that we interrupt more than we think we do. It’s understandable, as we want to get what we have to say heard. It means, however, that we end up listening to respond rather than to understand.

We should be aiming to listen 80% of the time whilst speaking only 20%.

We need to practice not interrupting, as well as practicing listening. Allay the fear in your mind that someone is going to speak all day and waste your time - they won’t!

Tune in to Learn

• The six questions you need to ask and answer before you interrupt someone
• How you think about your listening is like you think about your driving
• Listening for 'relational meaning' and the intent of the speaker
• Admit and acknowledge how you feel and move on to what you should be doing
• Behavioural and verbal cues to help a speaker feel listened to
• Why we need to change our attitude toward silence
• The value of asking prompting question such as 'What else?'

Links and Resources:

Graham Bodie's website

Graham Twitter

Graham LinkedIn

Book: The Sourcebook of Listening Research

 

Quotes:

"Listen 80% of the time, speak only 20% - Graham

"A speaker won't speak for very long unless a listener indicates interest, attention and permission to continue. - Graham"

 

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