Be a better listener to get more done

Not many of us would admit that we're poor listeners, but the proof may surround us in our daily life. If you find your friends/coworkers asking you the same questions repeatedly, or you respond to email without reading it, you're probably missing something. Fortunately, being a better communicator isn't that difficult.

Web Worker Daily argues that a great deal of productivity is lost to resolving miscommunications, that could have been avoided if each party had simply paid more attention to what was said & when. They point out that ineffective communicators are usually the ones who skip meetings, figuring someone will fill them in later, ones who are asked same questions repeatedly by friends/colleagues and the ones who reply to a message with multiple questions in it but only answer one of them.

Few tactics for being a better communicator:

Slow down a little & make sure you completely understand what you're being told. It helps to make sure you're clear with the person who's speaking to you.
Combine your written tasks into one time where you can focus and actually read what someone's sent you, and only then formulate a response.

Avoiding miscommunication in the office/life can give you more time to actually get your work done, and less time sitting in meetings. How do you stay productive & avoid these pitfalls? Share your experiences/suggestions in comments.

Image by Ky.

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