Developing listening skills in business as an Influencer

¡Hola, Chica! Let’s get this party started by taking a deeper look into today’s topic: Developing listening skills in business as an Influencer As always, drop a comment in the comment section, so we can all keep the party going & genuinely learn new value from each other!

I begin to wonder if developing listening skills in business as an influencer is important. I would wonder if developing listening skills in business as an influencer would help my business grow. Currently, I am more and more grateful for the capabilities technology offers us as influencers. You may say, well of course – you are a millennial,  you are bound to feel this way about technology.

Truly, my age is irrelevant. Regardless of age, technology it is here to stay. At the end of the day, our best bet is to make the most of technology. We absolutely need that with our business as an influencer.

Developing listening skills in business as an influencer is (and always will be) an art. Developing good listening skills in business is pivotal as an influencer. Being a good listener is going to advance you in your professional endeavors as an influencer in business. If you truly want to live more confidently, aware and successful as an influencer, then start developing good listening skills today!

When you listen to others well, you are expressing gratitude, respect, and loyalty in the realm of business.

While sitting in a coffee shop one afternoon (lost in my own thoughts), I look around me and I notice a pair of people sitting across the room. Their conversation seems to thrive, and they both leave the discussion more accomplished and knowledgeable than when they arrived.

As the lady speaks, the man stares straight in her eyes the whole time. She is given the opportunity to speak from a place where the only voice that matters is her’s. The only conversation he wants is with her. The most important thing at that very moment is every thought he has the privilege of experiencing from her.

There is a joy that truly never leaves the woman’s face. It seems to say, Thank you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for hearing me out. Thank you for respecting my thoughts. I can not help but smile & laugh. Listening is a gift that transforms human connection and relationships.

Truly, I believe we all have our own way of defining what it means to “listen”. And, I believe debating & wrestling with diverse subjects is extremely essential in conversation & growth in a business as an influencer. We crave listening.

At the very depths of what makes a human, a human (or perhaps not so far in the depths) is this desire to be genuinely heard and understood.

We desire to share our success, struggles, pain, triumphs, passions, fears, hopes, frustrations etc. with those who will take even just a moment to understand us. Now, think about how it feels when you are in the midst of conversation and person A, B, or C is not only hearing you but listening to you. Better yet, that person wants to hear you and values your time. In this process, we begin to understand growth that comes from engaging with those in our same niche, struggles, experiences etc in business as an influencer.

As people, we are selfish. We are busy. As a result, despite that we understand the importance and value found in listening to understand, we sometimes still fail to listen. As influencers, we can become so distracted that we forget to stop, pause and listen.

Honestly, it is so easy to believe listening has become a “lost art” and blame that on humanities lacking or technology’s influence. But, when we stop, listen, and actively try to understand we will always find new wisdom. We are all in this journey of life together. We are meant to grow with each other both professionally in business as an influencer and personally, too.  

6 Ways Listening Skills Are Important in Business as an Influencer

1. Turn off distractions when listening in business as an influencer.

To begin with, dedicate time for scrolling and interacting on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. Nothing wrong with that! Especially since you are an influencer and social interaction is simply part of your job. But, also dedicate time where you unplug and spend time being very present with those around you. Spend time even with yourself doing self care activities. Having designated time for both of these different objectives is very useful. It allows you to develop strong listening skills as an influencer.

2. Do morning and evening journaling to improve listening skills in business as an influencer.

In general, try and write in a journal at least every weekday (Monday-Friday). This allows you to get your feelings and thoughts out of your head, so that your mind is not nearly as clouded. When you have a clouded mind, that totally hinders your listening skills in business as an influencer. Let yourself use this morning end evening routine as an outlet to express your emotions, thoughts, and plans.

Doing so will allow you to organize your emotions, thoughts, and plans.

As a result, when you share whatever you may be going through with someone else, (P.S: I definitely recommend entrusting a mentor-figure or coach with your struggles, goals, and plans) then you will be able to express your thoughts more fully and vividly.

3. Keep eye-contact when having conversations in business as an influencer.

Keeping eye-contact is so important, just in general, for communicational growth as an influencer. I find making an intentional effort to stare the other person in the eyes not only enhances their desire to express thoughts to me, but it also improves my ability to listen better. So, take this approach into consideration, even if it seems uncomfortable at first. Practicing good eye-contact will totally grow your communication and listening skills in business as an influencer. Keeping eye-contact is showing ultimate respect to the other individual.

4. Seek new wisdom to improve listening skills in business as an influencer.

Ultimately, when you look at conversations with other people as a regular, authentic opportunity to learn new wisdom it totally enhances the listening process. So, this fact definitely connects to running a business as an influencer and engaging in outlets to be fueled by new knowledge.

We should be seeking new wisdom for our business as an influencer as often as possible. Actually, I mentioned this recently to my email recipients. It is my hope, that this community is always connecting with others and learning new wisdom from one another as influencers.

5. Ask questions during conversations in business as an influencer.

Honestly, there is nothing worse than continuing through a conversation with someone when you are confused. If you have not understood something said, then halt the conversation (politely) for clarification. When you continue on in a conversation confused, you will not be fully able to listen to what else is communicated. As a result, you become so focused on what you did not understand, that it will be nearly impossible to listen well.

6. Repetition is a key listening skill in business as an influencer.

So, repeat what the other person has said, when responding, so you will have full clarity. This also shows the other person you were listening well. There is nothing worse than having a conversation with someone and they are doing the following:

• looking around the room while your speaking
• playing on their phone while you’re speaking
• showing boredom for the conversation
• acting uninterested in what you’re saying

Over all, give other people the same consideration and respect you desire to receive in business as an influencer.

For example, here is a small exercise to help you develop good listening skills in business as an influencer.

Close your eyes and do the following…

Now, think about when you hear certain sounds. These sounds stir emotion and you are swept up in the sounds, right? The sounds give you chills. The sounds makes you cry, laugh, smile. The sounds makes you feel empowered. The sounds make you feel alive and peaceful. The sounds terrifies you. The sounds overwhelm you.

Why is that? Because you are intentionally listening in business as an influencer! You are focused. You are allowing what you hear to take over your whole being. It encourages you to embrace what you hear. In the end, you start appreciating what you hear. So, you are understanding what you hear. Also, you start pondering over what you hear. It steers you to fall in love with what you hear.

As an application, think about how hearing these sounds will make you feel:

• Bold crashing of waves onto an ocean shore
• Genuine laughter between a group of influencer friends
• Nervous crying of a new mom’s infant
• Intense sound of your favorite instrument in a song
• The way it feels to be swept up in the lyrics of a song
• Peaceful sound of wind blowing through the trees in a forest
• Relaxing popping sound of tires on a dirt road in your hometown
• Powerful sound of a lion roaring at a zoo in your city

So, how do these sounds make you feel? Write down your thoughts. Take what you have learn here and teach other people how to develop listening skills in business as an influencer! We all can grow from being more proactive and intentional in listening to others well. Be sure to checkout Grow Your Reach Workshop. You will learn key strategies for growing your reach online as a micro-influencer. A huge component of this growth is cultivating good listening skills understanding what brands need.

Comment below if you have ever struggle with being a good listener as an influencer. What are you doing to improve your listening skills in business? How can you more fully engage with other people in your audience and grow your micro-influencer business?

As a recap, here are the 6 ways to have good listening skills in business as an influencer:

1. Turn off distractions when listening in business as an influencer.

2. Do morning and evening journaling to improve listening skills in business as an influencer.

3. Keep eye-contact when having conversations in business as an influencer.

4. Seek new wisdom to improve listening skills in business as an influencer.

5. Ask questions during conversations in business as an influencer.

6. Apply the way you listen to sounds as added understanding of listening skills.

Based on my experience this is how I define listening:

“The most incredibly underestimated gift freely given to a human. The ability to open your heart, mind & focus to another being or situation, in a way that will allow you to not only learn a fantastic amount of wisdom from others…but also about yourself.”

Morgan Tyner

Today is all we have. Tomorrow will never be certain. The first step to success is recognizing where you can improve with listening skills, actively choosing to make a change, and then fighting for that change to take place. We need to be strengthening our listening skills in business as an influencer as often as possible.

Make sure you Bookmark this post to have when you need a place to turn to on days you are in need of a real, quick, effective action plans to improve your listening skills in business. YOU CAN DO IT! Remember: We all fail, sometimes. But, remaining in full alignment with our own true identity acts as our personal wellspring of unstoppable confidence as an influencer.