Right before heading into an important meeting or conversation, I try to do three things:
Plan my notes. If I hear something note-worthy, where will I write it down? I usually have two plans for that. 1. I have in my pocket a couple business cards and a Swiss Army Knife pen. Really. It’s called the Manager if you want to get one yourself. I’m always ready to write a note on the back of a business card. 2. And before I start conversation, I have queued up a place on my phone to take notes so I don’t have to fumble and risk distraction in a key listening moment. I want to whip out my phone and start typing immediately.
Plan my phone. Apart from planning my notes, I consider what interruptions I will allow and make a plan for my phone. Where will it be? With what notifications? In my case, my hearing aids are tied to my phone. Sometimes I have to interrupt a conversation to turn to my phone to make adjustments. I hate that. So I try to remember to adjust the settings before I enter the room.
Get curious. If you think the first two things are trivial, they’re both about this thing: an attitude of curiosity. These trivial acts remind me that preparing to listen is a thing. I actually do stuff to get in a mindset of wondering what I’m about to hear.
Most of us before a meeting; we prepare what we might say. We practice the lines and refine the arguments in our heads, in the car and in the elevator. Yet why not apply the same rigor to listening? Instead of planning what I might say, it’s fun to imagine what I might hear. I look forward to just listening.
For me, the act of writing helps me listen. If I’m listening for things to write down, I’m more attentive. When I push my brain to translate what I hear into short notes; I’m pushing myself to find nuggets in the words I hear.
One more thing about handwritten notes on cards: I find them in my pocket later. They make me reflect. At the very least, I have to decide what to do with the card. Yet when I make a note on my phone, I have to remember I made it and then find it.
These are my tricks for preparing to listen. They probably seem vintage. Fair enough. What are your tricks?
