Difficult People: How Do I Listen to Difficult People?

Many of my clients are staying connected to staff, customers, or members by hiring me to deliver virtual presentations.

I provide high-impact and high-content virtual presentations through Engagez, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, Google Meet, Hopin, Loom, Meetview, Microsoft Teams, StreamYard, Webex, and Zoom.

Sometimes when you share your genius ideas with your coworkers they act like they have no interest, they act bored, and they act like they have heard it all before.  Then they act like you should care what they think and listen to them go on and on and on.  It can be hard to listen to difficult people.

When someone hasn’t listened to you, it is hard to listen to them.

When someone has treated you poorly, it is hard to respond to their communication enthusiastically.  It is a struggle to listen to someone that you wish would simply “shut up”.

However, when you are interacting with someone you work with, who has an impact on your long-term career, or your short-term career, you need to make being a good listener a priority.

Rise to the occasion and tell yourself that this may be the most important five minutes of your day.  Get into your most effective posture and focus your attention.  Turn your body toward them to demonstrate interest.  Ask questions when you’re not sure about what they mean.  If taking notes helps, be prepared with pen and paper.  If eye contact is uncomfortable, just look at their front teeth and watch their tongue dart in and out of their mouths.  Really focus your attention and listen closely, as if you are listening to the most interesting ideas and the most valuable information you have ever heard in your life.

Listening is often rated as the most admired skill in communication.  We don’t learn much when we are talking, however, we learn quite a bit from listening.  Listen first and you will have more credibility when you respond.  And by the way, good leaders are good listeners.

If you need to find a keynote speaker, plenary speaker, breakout speaker, concurrent session speaker, seminar leader, or workshop facilitator who can deliver in-person, virtually, or via prerecorded session, Kit Welchlin, M.A., CSP, CVP, is a nationally recognized professional motivational speaker and author and can be found at www.welchlin.com or www.SeminarsOnStress.com.