0 How To Talk So People Will Listen 7 Top Tips

1) ADDRESS THE PERSON BY NAME. Even in an email and start with a greeting, so Hi, Hello, Good Morning, or even that to some people outdated Dear. Why you might ask? Well the person then feels like a person and not a thing. Plus at times being addressed by your First name in a short, sharp email can come across as a rebuke (55% of the people you are communicating with are predominately Visual - they see and what they can at times see is Fred blah, blah. And even not in emails when your colleague or significant other is deep in thought addressing them by name, means it opens the file in their head that switched the part of their brain on that says 'oh a communication with me'. How many times have you been interrupted when deep in thought?

2) MAKE SURE THEY ARE ON YOUR PAGE Make sure you are both on the same page, both thinking about the same thing. This burning question or thought in your mind my well not be the most important thought in their mind. (We can only concentrate on seven plus or minus two things at a time and there are thousands it not millions of things going on in and around us (consider how many bits of information your body itself needs to keep you standing or sitting). So you've started with 'Hi Fred,' and instead of saying something like 'I noticed at the other day your priorities have changed' (because Fred's priorities from the other day will be different today unless he's a slug intent on eating your lettuce and Fred will have no idea what you are talking about). Say Fred on Wednesday I noticed you were doing such and such, last year when we spoke you told me you weren't going to do that anymore, has something happened to change your priorities.' In all kinds of conversations this really works and saves endless hassle on both sides. (It also saves Fred from telling you his wife is having an affair, when actually what you mean was he had said he was going to try out contact lenses.) Also more here on Words (and Wheelbarrows)

3) HAVE RAPPORT The best way to communicate with another person is to first synchronise yourself with some aspect of their behaviour (match/mirror/pace it) and then change yourself (to leading the conversation). However, it is important to check that the other person wants to go where you are leading, so you need a "shared outcome" or you aren't going to get to where you want or need to be. You can also 'meet them at their bus stop', in them in their reality (that's a little like when we all complain about the weather). Talk at their pace, keep at an appropriate distance from them, not in their space, smile and at least point your body in their direction.

4) BELIEVE IN YOURSELF If you don't believe in you, no one else will do and being congruent so your head and how you feel being in line with what you are going to say works best. If you need some help with confidence, find a good NLP Trainer or the like who will help you with this, by means of a simple technique.

5) HAVE AN OUTCOME IN MIND What do you want from this interaction? Just to get to know them? Just to introduce yourself? To get their details? Will you follow up? Whatever you do you are selling yourself, people come back to people they like and trust.

6) LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAY Listen and repeat back some of their words, not what you think they said. Be interested, if you're not interested in what they are talking about, you will know someone who will be and you want them to be interested in you. Surely you do, or do you want them to tell someone else, 'yes I met so and so and they don't listen.'

7) SMILE AND REMEMBER TO SAY GOOD BYE As you move on and tell them how much you enjoyed speaking to them.

Credit: gamma-male.blogspot.com