_Demanding Attention of All._--When you have anything to say, to one
man or to many, get full attention first, and insist on having it
while you are talking. We so often see the impossible situation of
a leader making remarks which he considers important and the men of
his group plainly giving attention to other matters, even engaging
in side conversations. When you have to talk to a number of men,
call them all about you, in front of you where you can see all their
faces, and as near you as practicable so you may speak if possible in
a conversational tone. You will have to give this constant attention,
for the devil prompts some men always to slip around behind you, while
others always take the most distant seats and await the Biblical
invitation to come forward. With the men thus before you, you can now
make sure that your points tell. If an interruption occurs, immediately
stop talking until all can give attention again. If your remarks are
for everybody, everybody should hear them, and _you_ are responsible
that they do. Make that a rule, stick to it yourself, and you should
have no trouble.
_Talking to Individuals._--In talking to an individual, try to be so
clear and definite that you will not have to repeat, and let it be
understood that you expect such attention from him that repetition will
not be necessary. Of course, you sometimes have to deal with a mind so
untrained in concentration that it cannot take things in and retain
them, and you will have to be patient in making yourself understood.
The meanest type of mind is that which keeps thinking, while you are
talking, of what it is going to say when it gets a chance, and gives
your remarks just enough attention to note when a pause comes so it may
begin to talk. This kind of man is a curse in any walk of life, and not
to be tolerated in business. The art of listening is a valuable one.
Everyone should cultivate the habit of concentrated attention to what
is being said, if it means anything to him. It is particularly valuable
in receiving instructions, and promotion is more likely to come to one
of whom his superior can report that "He gives his full attention when
you tell him anything, and you never have to repeat."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account