Comments on: When You Speak, Do People Listen?: Acquiring Audible Authority In A Noise Polluted Society

By: El Sheila

El Sheila — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:09:51 +0000

Hi Eric! I like the fact that you listed Speak Less and Listen to Others. Here is something that caught my eyes this week :

~Looking at your eyes, I can tell weather there is peace in your heart or not. We see people radiating joy, and in their eyes, you can see purity. If we want our minds to have silence, keep a silence of the eyes. Use your two eyes to help you pray better. ~ Starting with Silence, Mother Teresa.

Cheers
Sheila

By: Li

Li — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:49:57 +0000

I enjoyed what you had to say about this issue. I always find that whenever I can express myself freely & when it feels like people are listening to me, it is all about the audience. It is when I feel ignored or shut out, I find that I am with the wrong audience.

My biggest pet peeve is when I’m around a group of people who all want to talk, be the lone voice, & swear their advice is the only one that counts while everyone fails to listen to everyone else in the group. I don’t know if it’s because of the machismo, but I always see this same situation pop up whenever males from Mexicali, Mexico are talking to each other.

By: Business, Blogging And Becoming A Dad | Motivate Thyself

Business, Blogging And Becoming A Dad | Motivate Thyself — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:50:08 +0000

[...] One of my fears when I first considered this shift was that I would lose a lot of my regular traffic. I was afraid that my readers might come to think I had closed shop. Yet I was pleasantly surprised to instead find a much greater influx of both regular readers and now and again traffic. More of my content was being shared with the rest of the blogging community and I found a greater respect for the voice I was sharing. [...]

By: Eric Hamm

Eric Hamm — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:17:34 +0000

Yeah, I just wanted to be included too. As long as I could tag along!

Great point at the end of your comment! We often get so caught up in trying to WOW others with our own sales pitch that we risk underwhelming everyone and losing our value.

Thanks for sharing that wisdom. Eric

By: Bakari

Bakari — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:06:38 +0000

That is a funny story about your brother and mom. I had the same experience growing up. My brother is five years older than I and at around 10 I suddenly had the urge to participate in "grown up" conversations when we would be out and about with our mother. At times I felt shut out, but I realize now that my need to feel included overrode my desire to provide value. I had a discussion with my wife recently about people providing 'expert' advice and how, often, it is difficult to understand why they are an expert. In my own endeavors to provide services to others I told her that I wanted to make sure that I didn't over promise and then underwhelm them with mediocrity. But instead, be honest with my credentials and experience and then give them more than they ever expected. Bakari’s last blog post..Try and Relax….

By: Eric Hamm

Eric Hamm — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:45:55 +0000

Hey Kate, great points! Timing and tone are everything, no doubt about it!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Eric

By: Kate Peters

Kate Peters — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:52:18 +0000

I believe that being heard has a lot to do with how you say what you say and where and when you say it. It’s fascinating to hear the same things said about online communication as about in-person conversations and the concept “noisy” being applied to social media. However, it’s true and the metaphor of being heard and also listening to others applies because we are all people communicating with people even if we can’t actually listen to another with our ears. The same rules apply. Thanks for reminding us of that.

By: Eric Hamm

Eric Hamm — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:40:27 +0000

Well said Dimitar! You’re so right with that joker/boring analogy. It’ true that we really are responsible for building up our reputation and determining how, why and when people listen to us. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Eric

By: Dimitar Nikolov

Dimitar Nikolov — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:29:18 +0000

Thanks for the tips, Eric! If I could add one point, it would be persistence. When people know that you'll say something worth to hear, they'll listen. So how do you make them know that? By gradually making an impression that you're a great speaker - one that smiles on jokes and lovely moments and that remains serious during the rest of the time. In your company of good friends, you must have had at least one that tells great jokes and one that never manages to make you laugh. So you know who'll tell the joke of the day and who will just be boring. You know it, because you know what to expect from each one. That's why when it's time for jokes, you listen to the joker. Simply be persistent in building an image of a worthy to listen speaker. Thanks once again for the great article, it really made me think in which areas of my communication skills I should practice more. Dimitar Nikolov’s last blog post..Internet Is A Productivity Killer

By: Eric Hamm

Eric Hamm — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:44:57 +0000

Exactly right! By picking our words carefully and staying silent when there’s nothing worth sharing, we’re maintaining a high value voice. Eric