“… so is that ok?” or “… are you listening?” are sentences that penetrate my conscious on a regular basis. Ever since I was a child I get tunnel vision when I’m focussed and can miss whole conversations taking place right next to me.
This wasn’t so great when I was growing up, especially at school and when you mother is asking you to do something at home but there are positives when it comes to dealing with clients and my team because my ears and my eyes are open, plus my creative has a chance to roam.
It’s also a sign of respect to give your whole self to the situation that you find yourself in. Active listening isn’t just turning your ear on, it is taking in all of the non-verbal cues too because often they will tell you much more than the words do.
I’ve been watching a series on Amazon Prime with my husband and yesterday as we caught up on the latest episode, I told him what was going to happen or be said next twice and he accused me of already watching the episode! Can you imagine? but it wasn’t that, the previous episodes had let me into the psyche of the characters and they acted accordingly.
Now had I watched the program while scrolling social media or cooking dinner, I’d have missed those small cues. The same applies to your team, if you aren’t giving them your full focus, you will miss the concern, worry or tension. Not everyone is vocal about sharing their concerns or issues, and so it is important that you are observant and ask the right questions, but to do this you have to be ‘all in’.
I’ve been working hard at staying in the moment, especially during the lockdown, when work, life, exercise, self-care and fun all seemed to meld into one.
For both my clients, team and myself having your children and/or partner make cameo appearances during your meetings became the norm. Sometimes I’d have my youngest sat on my lap during calls, but it often meant that I to follow up for additional information later.
Now that things are getting back to normal, let’s stay in the moment during our interactions by:
· Putting our phones on aeroplane mode
· Checking our emails and social media at stipulated times
· Scheduling and keeping our update meetings with our team members
· Closing the laptop during meetings (unless they are online ones)
· Not keeping it all business with your team (keep a check on their mental health too)
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