Listening

Listening is one of the most powerful, though commonly underestimated skills to have in business networking. People love to talk about themselves, so listen to them and be interested in what they say. Whether the topic is business or personal, people feel valued when they feel heard.

Another benefit of listening is one that ties back to an earlier segment of Networking 101, where we talked about helping others. Listening is the key to providing valuable help to people. When you really understand the problems they are trying to solve, the solutions are much easier to find.

Sometimes just listening is the only help someone really needs. Maybe they need someone to bounce an idea off of, or maybe they just need to hear the mechanics of the problem out loud before coming to their own conclusion.

Never underestimate the value of listening, in networking, in business and in life.

Happy Networking!