NOVEMBER 2005

One of the keys to successful recruiting is effective communication with both candidates and clients. Successful communication involves effective listening and avoiding communication roadblocks. So this month I thought I'd share with you four major steps to effective listening. Listening is NOT a passive activity. It requires mental effort. Hope you find these useful in your communications with others!

1 - Focus on the speaker. Make a conscious decision to listen. Remember, you can't listen when you're talking, so control your urge to speak. Focus on the speaker. Don't just act like you're listening; really process what they're saying. Give visual and verbal feedback - show by your behavior that you're listening.

2 - Understand. Try not to judge and avoid jumping to conclusions - even favorable ones. Listen first, make sure you understand, and then evaluate or argue what the speaker has said. Look for the most important ideas in the speaker's message even if you consider it boring. Pay attention to body language as the speaker may be saying one thing but their expression may be shouting something else.

3 - Clarity. Ask questions - it shows the speaker that you care about what they said. If you're unclear, ask for clarification. Mirror back what was said - restate in your own words the speaker's message. Everyone communicates and internalizes messages differently, which may result in common misunderstandings.

4 - Remembering. Create associations between what the speaker is saying and things that are important to you. Write it down - take notes! While listening, jot down ideas that you might be asked to remember later.

And speaking of communication, over the next few months we'll be working on updating our database to be sure we have your most current information. Please bear with us through the process and help us to give you the best possible service!

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think might find it of value and let me know so we can add them to our future mailings. I ALWAYS appreciate referrals!