Understanding Others’ Listening Preferences

We can determine what others are thinking and feeling by observing specific nonverbal cues.  Some people are like open books and are easy to read.  Others, however, are like books that haven’t been translated into our language.

We can determine a person’s listener preferences by observing them carefully.  The best listeners know how to “read” a person’s cues so that they can communicate with him/her most effectively.  It is important to learn to listen and adapt our message to the preferences of each person.  Discovering listening habits, behaviors, and preferences is the first step toward self-awareness.  Now that the participants have uncovered information about themselves, it is time for them to learn about the listening traits and preference of others.

*Remember that a person may have multiple preferences or may demonstrate some cues or clues which are confusing/contradictory.  When this is the case, individuals should continue to look for feedback when adapting to others to determine whether or not their strategy is working.  If it isn’t working,  they should be prepared to adjust on the spot.