Imagine that you have to explain something to a first-time user. Perhaps a new employee learning your sales order or CRM. Picture the interaction for a moment. You’d likely speak slowly so that you could measure the effect of your words. You’d pause and look at the person to calibrate whether or not they seemed to be getting it. You wouldn’t speak quickly, without pause, racing to the end just to be done with it regardless of the effectiveness of your training, would you?

Now let’s flip that around. Let’s imagine someone is speaking to you about something they deem important. Can you listen slowly? What does it mean to listen slowly?

It’s like speaking slowly in that your body posture and gestures are similar. Instead of pausing to look for understanding on the face of another, you’d pause to convey understanding with your face. You’d face the person who’s speaking and maintain soft eye contact. Your feet would face forward, and you’d lean in subtly conveying your intention to stay and listen.

Listening slowly means using more deliberate physical cues. It means more measured responses intended to encourage the other person to continue speaking.

Listening slowly can be the difference-maker in convincing someone to your way of thinking. When you listen slowly, with no indication that you need to get to your agenda, others feel respected and heard. In a situation with different points of view, most folks won’t consider changing theirs unless they’re sure you’ve listened to them first.

It takes patience and pure intention and is one of the most prevalent components in the communication style of highly charismatic people.

Own Your Sales Gene