(This week’s article is replaced with this quick exam to see if you’re being a good listener! Take this short quiz and see if there’s room for improvement in your listening skills. Good listening skills when speaking with sellers most often translates to a more positive outcome. See how you do!)
Write down YES or NO to each. Do NOT read the fine print at bottom of page until you answer all the questions. NO CHEATING!
- As people talk to you, do you find it difficult to keep your mind on the subject at hand, to keep from taking mental excursions away from the line of thought that is being conveyed?
- Do you listen primarily for facts, rather than ideas, when someone is speaking?
- Do certain words, phrases or ideas so prejudice you against a speaker that you cannot listen objectively to what is being said?
- When you are puzzled or annoyed by what someone says, do you try to get the question straightened out immediately, either in your own mind or by interrupting the talker?
- If you feel it would take too much time and effort to understand something, do you go out of your way to avoid hearing about it?
- Do you deliberately turn your thoughts to other subjects when you believe a speaker will have nothing particularly interesting to say?
- Can you tell by a person’s appearance and delivery that he won’t have anything worthwhile to say?
- When somebody is talking to you, do you try to make him think you are paying attention when you are not?
- When you are listening to someone, are you easily distracted by outside sights and sounds?
- If you really want to remember what someone is saying, do you try to write down most of his discourse.
90%, but #4 puzzles me because I believe that it is sometimes important enough to interrupt the speaker if something is unclear because others may have the same question, but will not speak out
80%. #2, I believe listening for facts or ideas depends on the topic being presented. And, yes, I did miss this because in Real Estate, one cannot just listen for facts. There are great ideas to make one successful in this business. Then #10, I like taking down notes, but I just note down the nuggets, which of couse is some of the discourse. So I missed that one too because I answered “Yes”.
I have learned, mostly the hard way, to pay attention and not prejudge a person. I think manners and courtesy are important when dealing with others and that attention, if even forced, can yield some interesting insights.