Two ears and one mouth ....

(This is a re-release post from this blog .....TferThomas, from January 2009, and for me, both personally and professionally, remains very relevant today).

Recently this old saying has surfaced in a number of conversations and presentations that I have been privileged to be a part of. I thought I should share my thoughts here, and share the love of this age old saying.

You have two ears and one mouth, and that's the proportion you should use them.

How many times in the past have you been in an important meeting, and when concluded, only to find that you appear to have missed some key, critical information? It has certainly happened to me on a number of occasions. Until, that is, someone shared the love of this old saying to me.

If you can actually resist opening your mouth, and therefore not talk, but more importantly, concentrate on what the other party is discussing, the chances of you absorbing what they are trying to say (whether directly, or indirectly) increases exponentially... to your favour.

And this is the point, by gaining the direct and indirect insights (ie. the world according to the other party), you are leaps and bounds of someone else (perhaps your competitor).

But this doesn't just apply to business dealings.... again, how many times have you had a conversation with your loved one, and later, could not recall what he / she was really drilling down to from within the conversation? Its happened to us all, and will continue to do so, if you don't zip it.

Of course, verbal acknowledgments do assist the non verbal signs, confirming the simple fact you are listening, but that's just the point.... two ears and one mouth.

So the next time you are sitting with someone (business or pleasure), give it a go, and let me know what the outcomes were.

My thoughts,

Thomas

Follow Thomas @TferThomas

The power of the face to face meeting.

I love the internet, and I enjoy the various methods available to communicate electronically to people, whether locally, nationally or worldwide.



As a means for getting data from myself to one of my clients, email / internet are fabulous tools, and yes, email can be used (together with the internet) to build relationships and make the deals. A lot of people do business this way, but it misses a vital ingredient... the personal human interactive touch.



Depending on who's advice / research you decide to hang your hat on, anywhere from 60 - 75% of communication is made non-verbally; you know, facial expressions, body language and even the aura given. This is an amazing amount of communication found wanting in emails, instant messaging, texts and even tweets.



A simple face to face meeting can easily shortcut the sales / negotiation process, by paying careful attention to non-verbal signals. How many people have witnessed their client suddenly leaning back, crossing their arms and giving off a negative vibe? And if you weren't there at the meeting, and this meeting was being held in cyberspace... would you have picked up the clues? Most likely not.



However, being present at that meeting, in person, and staying alert to the non-verbal cues, places you in the box seat to counter any objections your client may have, implementing a strategy to get the meeting's direction back on track. Or simply, realise it wasn't meant to be... and no further time needs to be wasted for now (remember, don't burn any bridges).



Until mankind negates the core need to have close, physical personal interaction, face to face meetings / communication remains an important part of anyone's work and life.



Thomas