Whether you’re trying to negotiate or influence another person or just motivate them to do something more or differently, at some point you’re going to need to stop talking and hear their side of the issue.

You can’t learn if you’re talking. And it’s next to impossible to force new behavior or agreement without engaging the other side.

What stood out for me was not how hard it was for the participants to use the skill but rather the insight that they couldn’t use it if they weren’t present. Being there fully in the moment is what is required of us sometimes. And when we are 100% focused on the other person, instead of thinking about what we’ll say next, we can create powerful moments of rapport and authentic relationships.

Listen to Learn means being able to reflect rather than react to what is being said. It creates a pause in the rhythm of the conversation and an opportunity to wait for the other person to fill it.

Retail is a crazy, noisy, all-in industry. We love it. We also know how important it is to connect with your partners and resources. What do you do to “Be there” for them 100% during a conversation? Share your thoughts here or @mohrretail.

Posted in Retail Pulse
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About MOHR Retail

For more than 30 years, MOHR Retail has developed the critical people-to-people skills needed to create results in the retail industry—and we’re just getting started. Through innovative classroom and online learning methods, as well as our ongoing national retail research projects, we continue to stay on top of the trends so we can fuel the success of specialty stores, chain stores, outlets, catalogue retailers, department stores, and more. Nowhere does learning meet experience as it does in a MOHR Retail training program.