Are you really listening?

As a nursing student we were given the opportunity to practice interviews, and I although I was generally quiet, I knew I could hold my own in an interview.

So while the tutor watched, I worked easily through my fellow student's questions, giving plenty of information to help them know how good I was.

At the end, there was a brief moment of silence, and then the tutor said:

"Wow- you definitely come from the Margaret Thatcher style of interviewing don't you?" (those of you below a certain age, just look her up on the internet).

I was embarrassed.

I had taken over the interview, and yes, I had appeared confident, but had not connected or gained any type of rapport with the interviewers.

So how much do you talk?

And how much do you listen- really listen, to what is said, what is communicated non-verbally and what is being communicated behind the words?

How much do you allow space for the other party to process and move the conversation forward, or overcome anxiety?

One tip is to look around the room at how many people are in the conversation. If there are 2 of you, you should speak a maximum of 1/2 of the time, if there are 10 people, it should be about 1/10 of the time.

If you want to find out more about coaching or training in effective communication and listening, contact me: vicki@multiplycoaching.com or book in a free 30 minute zoom: https://calendly.com/multiplycoaching/newclient