Listen Archive - Page 2 of 2 - The Art of Communicating

Where great ideas go to die

Recently, in a marketing brainstorming session with a table full of snacks and charts.

Chief Trend Officer (CTO): “Alright team, we’ve got the latest trend report right here. Fidget spinners are making a comeback! We need to integrate them into our campaign.”

Marketing Intern (tentatively): “But, um, isn’t our product a high-end coffee machine?”

CTO: “Precisely! Imagine: a coffee machine with a built-in fidget spinner. Every time you brew, you spin!”

CEO (trying not to laugh): “Or, maybe we could explore why people love coffee? The aroma, the morning ritual, the conversations over a cup? Dive into the shared experiences and emotions?”

CTO (with an enthusiastic grin): “Sure, all that deep stuff is great, but just imagine a GIF with someone sipping espresso while spinning a fidget spinner! Viral content!”

CEO: “Well, while we’re at it, why not add a whistle? Brew, sip, spin, and toot! We’ll revolutionize morning routines everywhere!”

CTO (pausing, thinking deeply, then with a eureka moment): “…Can we patent that?”

Ear to the ground

Good communicators want to be understood; great ones start by understanding.

The good ones strive for clarity to make it easy for their audience to catch their message. They’re skilled and their ideas often leave an impression.

But then there are those who seem to possess an almost magical touch in the way they communicate. They stand out not because they’re louder or more extroverted, but because they approach communication differently.

Instead of starting with a message and searching for ears to hear it, they begin with an ear to the ground, attuned to the heartbeat of their audience.

When we encounter one of them, we feel understood. We’re not just being told; we’re being invited into a shared vision. It’s less about them and more about a collective “us”, less a transaction of information and more a transformation of perspective.

These communicators understand that lasting change comes not from dictating what others should see, but from lighting the path so others can see it for themselves.

In a world filled with noise and distractions, these leaders don’t just capture our attention; they capture our hearts. And it’s there, in that space of emotional connection and shared understanding, where real, lasting change begins.

In the vast sea of voices, the ones that resonate are those that truly understand their listeners.

Waiting for your turn

In many conversations, people tend to focus on their turn. On what they could say next.

As opposed to listening to what the others have to say.

These people just wait for an opportunity to jump in and take over the talking part. Usually speaking about themselves.

In these conversations, it can feel like being in a bad band consisting only of soloists – soloists who, rather than playing together, just happen to play at the same time. Everyone’s concerned with their own solo instead of complementing each other to create a collective masterpiece.

Good conversations are collective masterpieces that lead somewhere – a place we couldn’t reach on our own.

They can only happen when we are willing to truly listen – just like the masterpieces of a great band. World class guitarist Pat Metheny once said that “the best musicians are not the best players, they’re the best listeners.”

Truly listening means more than merely waiting for your turn. It means showing up with interest, empathy, and compassion: Are you willing to look from their perspective, ask questions that dig deeper, and learn something new?

When you’re constantly busy thinking about what you’re going to say next, you won’t have time for any of that.

The art of listening is the foundation upon which the art of communicating is built.

Leaders who light the path are great listeners in that sense. For them, it’s not about who says what. They don’t care for when it’s their turn. Because it’s always the team’s turn.

For them, it’s about unlocking the brilliance of everyone on the team.

The Art of Listening

Hi,

I’m back from my summer sabbatical.

Let’s start by catching up with some news for my german speaking friends: There’s a new book out which I contributed an article to.

A few weeks ago, my colleague Armin Nagel published a highly insightful take on the art of waiting. It’s called “Schöner Warten” (which roughly translates to “How to make more out of waiting”) and it’s a collection of unexpected perspectives on waiting.

I mean, let’s face it: a huge part of our lives is spent waiting, isn’t it?

We’re waiting for someone to show up. Or for them to leave.

We’re waiting for the green light. Or for someone to stand up and say “stop”.

We’re waiting for a meal.

Or that it’s our turn at the doctor’s.

We’re waiting for the pain to cease. The show to start. The phone to ring.

We’re waiting for him, her, them, or it.

Each and every day.

Why not make the best out of that time, right?

I loved that thought and didn’t hesitate a second when Armin asked me to contribute some of my thoughts to the collection. The piece is called “The Art of Listening”, an art that – as it turns out – can only be truly mastered when we master the art of waiting. If you’re interested, here’s the full text (in german)

There are more than 30 texts like this in the book – each of them looking at waiting from the most unexpected places. If you feel like you could make more out of your waiting time, head over to the book’s website to learn more: https://www.warteberater.de

You talkin’ to me?

“You tellin me I’m wrong? I gotta do things differently? Who are you? I know damn well what I need to do. Don’t you dare tell me what I gotta do.”

I bet you know that feeling. That feeling when some sales representative comes over and tries to tell you what’s right and what’s not. That you’ve been doing things all wrong all along and that only they know what’s right and if only you bought their stuff you’d be in paradise.

And the only thing you can think of is how they seem to not even get the least bit about your business. How they don’t have the faintest ideas of what you actually struggle with. And don’t even try to get you.

That’s why it makes such a difference when you are the person who does get their customer. Who listens first and then talks. Who doesn’t have all the answers but sees a path that your customers have overlooked, yet. Who doesn’t tell them they are wrong but leads them to ask the right questions.

Then the question mark turns into an exclamation mark: She’s talking to me!

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Where great ideas go to die

Ear to the ground

Waiting for your turn

The Art of Listening

You talkin’ to me?

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Dr. Michael Gerharz