Listening…the lost art?

When is the last time you went to dinner or went to grab a drink by yourself to listen? You know, take the time to walk down to the ole watering hole and enjoyed a good drink to listen? Sat down with the sole purpose of listening to the stories around you? There are so many stories to be shared at the local watering hole. People enjoying conversation, ole times, catching up, beating their chest, war stories…ones that connect and make us feel real.

Listening…the lost art.
Sometimes while on trips, I like to find a bar, pick a stool in the middle, order a brew, and listen. Instead of facing straight ahead or looking right at the television, turn sideways and engage in a new conversation. How do we listen? We read body language and listen to the stories that we can relate.

Asking questions…inquiry.
The easiest way to listen is to find someone you can relate and ask questions. Empowering your audience to share. Putting the people you can relate in a position to share and empower you. Asking questions provides connection and willingness to engage.

Stories from questions…empower our audiences.
Questions come from listening and listening comes form questions. We all like to learn and we as humans are social creatures. We connect with those willing to share the stories and that inspire emotion. Quality questions come from those who listen to their audiences. When we want to hear rich stories, we ask, we inquire, we explore, and we search for the red-string that connects our stories to theirs. This empowers our relationships.

When is the last time you have gone into a public place, a bar, a meeting, a networking event…and spent more time asking questions than answering? When is the last time you have inquired about others experiences than filling the void of the conversation with your own? It is amazing who we can meet, what we can learn, people we can empower, and relationships we can build.

Storytelling is not a lost art!
Storytelling is the art of listening…to tell others stories. Our stories get old after a while especially when we have told them so many times they get to old to find the new iteration to make people engage. Telling others’ stories is lot more fun when we listen and tell others stories. Are you a storyteller or are you one that just tells your own story? Our own stories gets old after a while…take a few minutes to listen.