Talk Less, Listen More
Things all may feel a little skewed and awkward these days, with many people working from home, spending hours on Zoom, gotomeeting, webex, Microsoft Teams and Skype calls. For anyone just entering the workforce, it is difficult to work out exactly who is who in the meeting sometimes.
You may think that the person with the most respect is the one who organized the meeting or presenting content. In the BIO* days it would potentially be the person seated or standing at the head of the conference table giving the presentation, but that’s not always the case.
More importantly, if you’re in a meeting and you feel you just have to make a verbal contribution and feel as if you always need to talk, don’t expect that at any point in your speech, you’re the most respected person in the room or call.
People gain respect by actually listening to the ideas of others. Listening is also an art!
This doesn’t mean that you can’t share your ideas and perspectives, but it does mean that you need to pay attention to what others are saying and listen to learn and don’t just listen to respond.
Selective hearing is not going to do you any favours.
Remember, you were hired to do your job, and other employees were hired to do theirs and unless public speaking is actually what you were hired to do, sometimes it is better to just sit back and listen, make notes and hear what everyone else is saying. This is especially important if you’re in a new hire or have been dropped into a meeting where you know very few others in attendance.
That may seem like a super basic statement, but, in practical terms, it means that other people are experts on tasks outside of your expertise. So, listen to what they have to say about their area of expertise. When you are working in product management, this is especially important. Failure to listen means you will miss important insights about the business problems, the methods and tools in use, the cost of the problem to the business and so much more.
Recognize that, in listening to those around you, you should treat them all with respect.
Respect engenders respect and pays it forward for when it is your turn or when it is necessary for you to speak. Afterall, you do want people to hear what you have to say – don’t you?
*Back in Office!