Effective Communication Detail Training

Author: Chen Ling
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: In today's highly competitive talent pool, Zeng Guofan's exceptional skills in recognizing and utilizing people are not only worth emulating by every leader but also every career professional to learn. The workplace is like a battlefield, with fierce competition. If you only listen without observing, or only observe without listening, you will miss many opportunities. If you are skilled at both listening and observing, you may do the right things more easily and earn the appreciation of your superiors and the trust of your colleagues. Of course, success will come more readily.
Body Language. Use "Look" instead of "Listen"
In daily life, we often say, "Look what he is saying," but rarely say, "Listen to what he is saying." In fact, there is a reason for this. Research shows that only 10% of interpersonal communication occurs through words, 30% depends on tone and voice, and the remaining 60%+ is conveyed through the rich and varied body language. Body language refers to every movement of your body when expressing information, including facial expressions, posture, and gestures. Compared to verbal language, body language conveys much more information. Moreover, body language can either reinforce or weaken the message conveyed by verbal language. At times, body language can completely undermine the credibility of spoken words. If you hear someone say, "I'm very happy to meet you," but there is no trace of a smile on their face, you can be sure they are not being sincere. As everyone knows, the rich information conveyed by body language is not received through "listening" but through "observation"—through "looking." Given this, to truly understand others' words and grasp their thoughts, relying solely on "listening" is insufficient; you must also "look." Through "looking," you may gain more and more authentic information, make better judgments and wise choices, and take the initiative in communication.
A seasoned car salesman sells two cars every week. When his peers ask him about his success, he says, "It's actually very simple—I just gather more information." However, his colleagues notice that he engages in less verbal communication with customers compared to them, even less. So, how does he gather more information? In car sales, the biggest challenge for salespeople is dealing with customers who are just "window shopping," as they are often the most shrewd. When the salesperson tells them the price, they often show no reaction and then go to other dealers to ask for quotes. This seasoned salesman also encounters such customers, but unlike others, he never readily reveals the price. Of course, he doesn't refuse to answer their questions either. He quickly takes out his business card, writes the customer's name on it, and writes a confidential number on the back that is initially kept secret from the customer. He then hangs the card on the wall and tells the customer, "This is the best price you might find." After that, he advises the customer to talk to other dealers and then come back to see what price he has written on the card. Usually, not long after, driven by curiosity about the number on the back of the card, the customer will return on their own. Of course, for their tone of voice, walking style, handshake, and