ArtisanListening

Powerful listeners seem rare. Probably because it's a craft, the work of true Listening Artisans who skillfully mix art and science into one healing balm.

The best listeners I know embed some of the following strategies into their secret sauce:

• Defining Questions - They frame conversations with skillfully crafted questions that center on the topic of interest. They know that Q&A sessions can easily run off into the weeds, becoming unfocused b!7c% & complain events, which serve the best interests of none. While they may not know all the specifics that will surface in the answers to their questions, they are reasonably confident of the "direction" in which the conversation will head.
• Time Bounded - They make clear the time allotted for the session. If it's a formal meeting, start-stop times are clearly communicated; if it's an informal interaction, they marshall the conversation toward a clear and signaled closing point. 
• Presence - Those skillful listeners attend the conversation fully. They lend their ears, their eyes, their brains, and their body language to the interaction. They understand that full engagement is a two-way street. They also understand that 80% of communication is non-verbal. 
• Notation - Skillful listeners take note, usually in some visual way. They let the other know that what they are saying has meaning to the Listening Artisan, and will be subsequently dwelled upon. Making notes in some visual way sends a powerful message in that regard.
• Gratitude - Powerful listeners regularly thank the Other for the investment of their time, attention, opinion, and insight. Those Listening Artisans understand that asking, then thanking, others for their viewpoint and thinking is one of the most powerful and magnetic of compliments. 

Looking back on that listing, it's not surprising that so few seem to be Artisans of Listening.

As with all crafts, becoming master Artisans is a journey of improvement. We can start (or continue) that journey today...