“The purpose of listening is not to reply, but to hear what is not being said.” | Kevin Kelly
I was talking to a good friend who works in sales. He was talking about how there’s no substitute to meeting a customer in person. I nodded all the way through – I think it has a lot to do with my experiences attempting to listen and being listened to.
We’ve all learnt an important lesson from the COVID lockdowns – every meeting doesn’t have to be an in-person meeting.
But the opposite of a good idea is often a good idea. And I’ve come to appreciate that every meeting shouldn’t be a video meeting as well. Non-verbal communication is a significant part of how we communicate, and those signs are hard to read over a video conversation. It is why brainstorming and therapy don’t work as well on video. This is especially true on newer teams / when we’re attempting to form new relationships.
Relationships are built on trust. Trust, in turn, flows from understanding which can only happen when we feel listened to. And reading non-verbal cues helps us listen by helping us hear what is not being said.
