Listener Awareness

by Carolyn Finch

Whether you are speaking to one or 1000, there is very little you might know about how the brains of your listener and audience members are functioning. When we are speaking to large audiences we know that we will not get through to everyone. Therefore we need to inject a lot of emotion for them to understand what we are really saying. That is why expression, change of voice, taking on an accent or using visuals and props helps the listener function better, We do know that men and women tend do think differently.Yes my friends it is true. They also hear and see differently..

Women tend to use communication from both sides of their brain and have more visual, verbal and emotional responses. Men tend to favor the left side of their brain and prefer numbers, facts, cerebral reasoning and they like to see movement. No matter whether male or female the brain could be damaged enough to know that there is catch up time needed when speaking from a platform. There is a distance in feet and yards and body noises and speech that are accompanied by gestures and body movement take a few delayed seconds to be seen.  When someone is close and the conversation tends to be one on one most of the communication is understood.

The picture above is one that is used in diagnosing a language disorder by a Speech Pathologist. In my Speech Pathology days I would use this to visibly see where there would be some brain damage and how there can be a weakness on one side of the brain. That is what we call left sided neglect, or a left side of the body weakness in perception. Many people in our audiences and network groups may have a weakness like this. Therefore when you are speaking in front of an audience whether a small group seated around a table or a large auditorium at a conference center, be aware of the left and right sides of your listeners bodies and the room.

Do your best to turn your body ever so slightly toward the group on the left and right when speaking from a platform and focus your attention with the one on one conversation by standing eye to eye and belly to belly. Pause to focus on listeners and this will also help you keep your own focus too.

The Speaker with a Spark!

Teacher-Coach to Medical-Financial-Legal Professionals & Associations 

Call or E-mail to set up YOUR programs for 2016-17-18 or to get to know us better.

203-405-3972        carolyn@carolynfinch.com     WWW.Carolynfinch.com

Less is more. I’d been confused by that statement on more than one occasion. Every time I think I really do ‘get it’ another opportunity comes along so that I can ‘get it’ at a more significant level. This has a lot of meaning to a lot of different people. I have a friend that contemplates her own mortality now that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and had procedures. To her it means having less stuff to keep, clean, care for and moving of said stuff which equals more living to be had.

Wiki tells me that simplicity is preferable to complexity. I myself have found that often too many words complicate a description or explanation. Fewer words equal more understanding or at the least less chance for confusion. I’ve also seen it used to describe interior decoration and architecture design. Less clutter equals more aesthetically pleasing rooms and lines. Less time equals more focus. Less restriction equals more freedom. What does it mean to you?

In which ways could you change things in your life from less to more? Would you use fewer words? Would you unclutter your space? Perhaps you would pass on some of your belongings. What would you have less of and how would that produce more for you?

I’d love to engage with you on this subject. Please add to the comments or reach out to me personally through my website.

Lucinda Smith

Coach ~ Speaker

Life Transformationalist
Soulutions for Living

www.lucindasmith.com

Summer Body Language - Start Your Journey

Ah yes it is summer and the negative ions from the salt sea air make us feel relaxed, healthy and well. This is a very natural time to start you journey into understanding Body Language more than you do because the bathers are out in great numbers and the clothes are at a minimum. It gives you an opportunity to observe Body Movement more. There is already a tendency to watch Body Language at the beach so why not make it a habit to teach yourself more about this non-verbal communication message system.

Did you know?

By understanding more about Body Language you can improve your Time Management and your Bottom Line? I will share tips about this but first I want to address the fact that men touch other people more than women do during a basic business or social conversation. I personally think this has a lot to do with the fact that men have their hands free and women are usually clutching their life savings.

We have taken Sexual Harassment classes and know touching is not tolerated in the work world and beyond. I know of men who have gotten into problems at their employment site because they unknowingly touched someone. So my tip is for all men to observe if you are touching people as you speak to them and know that this may be an area of non-verbal communication that you will need to control. There is much more touching, hugging and back pats among small business owners who become close friends.

Now look at the picture!

Note the legs in the picture of the first person on the left. She is more analytic and concerned because the feet are close together. The second person is well balanced, in control and knows what she wants. The third person a smaller child is frightened note the legs pointing toward each other, the next person is doing a balancing act between two people who may be frightened, concerned or uncomfortable. The last person is ready to go with one leg pointing toward the surf

When you are speaking with someone make it a habit to be aware of their Body Language. If that person touches their ear while you are speaking with them note that this gesture means I am no longer interested in hearing you. When you use this and a dozen more observations of gestures you can bring your conversation to a close and move on. This helps save you time for those true connections. When you find that person there is seldom any movements or touching around the head.

I will give you some more tips on summer Body Language as you continue on your journey to know more about others at home or away. Hope you are having a safe summer.

               
                      Body Language/Communication LifeStyle Expert™

                              Keynote Speaker
                              LifeStyle LifeCoach
                              carolyn@carolynfinch.com
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