![]() In doing this we are not truly communicating, which leads to confusion, mixed messages and a lack of clarity (not good communication!) What Covey suggests we do is listen emphatically. We are often so intent on getting our point across in a conversation that we only partially listen to what the other participants are saying. It’s likely that, naturally, you seek first to be understood. “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand they listen with the intent to reply.” – Stephen Covey This habit is 100% concerned with listening – listening attentively and not jumping to ‘advice’ or ‘solution’ mode too hastily. Seek first to understand then to be understood The habit we’re honing in on this week is number five, Seek first to understand then to be understood. Each blog gives you insight into each habit and provides tools to help you develop these highly effective behaviours.Ĭollect all seven habits crib sheets (links at end of this post) for a complete guide to developing effective personal leadership through the lens of Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. #Seek to understand before being understood series#If this is the first time you have heard about this series we’re sharing, the aim is to provide a reminder of Covey’s ever-valuable habits, with a personal leadership twist. Provide prospects and customers with references, guarantees and assurances to help them make a positive buying decision based not only on emotion but logic as well.It’s time for habit five of seven in our 7 Habits of Highly Effective People blog series!.Ask for feedback and encourage questions to identify, reduce and eliminate your prospects’ and customers’ fears, uncertainties and doubts.Develop meaningful content for your marketing outreach efforts that articulates your solutions to customers’ and prospects’ pain points.Let them know your goal is to be of service. Make sure to demonstrate a sincere interest in others before sharing your solutions. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.Build rapport so you are perceived as someone who is professional, reliable and trustworthy.Inquire about their time and budget considerations.Find out how, when and where they like to receive information.Make sure your messaging resonates, engages and addresses their interests and concerns.Determine what considerations are important to others in making a buying decision.Ask about the solution(s) they seek or are considering (What are they using now? What’s working and what isn’t?).Truly explore the nature of the problems or challenges others are they facing.Below are some tips and suggestions that marketers can use as they seek to understand as well as to be understood. Listening attentively is a focus-based task. When we listen in this way, we put ourselves in other people’s shoes and see the world through their eyes. As such, empathetic listening, while rare, is a powerful skill that requires continuous practice and attention. Empathetic listening demonstrates more appreciation, acceptance and compassion for others. Empathetic listening: Listening not only to the person’s words, but understanding what a person is feeling from their perspective.Ĭommon sense tells us only the last one is truly effective.Attentive listening: Paying attention, but still listening from one’s own perspective.Selective listening: Hearing part of what the person says, but generally distracted.Pretend listening: Saying “uh huh” and “right,” but not being present in the conversation.Covey coins this as “autobiographical listening.” Listening in this way results in the intention to agree or disagree, give counsel based on our own experience or to interpret motives and behavior based on our own psyche.Īccording to Covey, there are five levels of listening. Additionally, we tend to frame what others say based on our own perspective. Most often we are too busy preparing our response for when it’s our turn to speak. Most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand. The process begins with listening to others. Content creation and delivery of marketing messages evolve based on the knowledge of, appreciation for and empathy with the company’s target audiences and stakeholders. It is the marketer’s role to create a meaningful, compelling and marketplace-centered messaging that is consistent with the company’s mission, vision and brand. The fifth habit is “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” From a marketing perspective, the foundation of this habit is communication. For the last four weeks, we’ve been discussing the habits of highly effective marketers based on the principles described by Stephen Covey in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. ![]()
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