Learn to Stop and Listen

This is a tough concept, especially when you’re pushing hard to achieve stretch goals, working hard to get clients and build your business. But it’s especially important to do if you’ve got a sense that things are not working out as you hoped. The most basic tool of ongoing quality improvement is about process check in and customer listening. This time, I’m suggesting that you listen to yourself as well.
How’s that pitch working for you? How does it feel when you give it? Are you bored? Or worse yet, are you uncomfortable, not truly committed, not believing it? Are you excited to share what you do? If you’re not, then it’s time to stop and listen to what’s holding you back.
Are you fully committed to the product or service that you’re offering? Are you convinced that you are uniquely qualified, especially talented or called to perform in this area? In order to convince anyone that what you offer is valuable, useful, effective and important; you’ve got to be wholeheartedly certain yourself. That’s why you need to listen to how you deliver your pitch, and not just your words. Because any doubt, uncertainty or concerns that you have will leak out to the world.
That’s why its so important to have a person or group of people that you can depend upon to honestly let you know what they see, hear and feel about your pitch. Don’t just include your friends on this board of advisors, sometimes they’re not clear sighted or brave enough to give you a true response. One of the best indicators of what’s true for you is to learn to listen more closely to your internal indicators of what’s truly going on. These gut messages can be subtle but they are the most accurate truths we have once we become adept at listening.
This kind of listening does not come naturally to most of us. And it’s certainly not something we were taught in school. In fact, we may have had it un-taught. So here’s an introductory lesson on learning to observe what your body already “knows.”

1. When you have just had a conversation, take a minute to sit quietly.
2. Scan your body from head to toe. Do you find any tension? Where?
3. Do you feel a sense of rushing or speed? Where?
4. Note these sensations and keep track for several days about what you find.
5. After a week look at the trends and see what you discover about particular events and your reactions to them.