Listening is the key to communication

LAKEVILLE — As part of its series of public education workshops, Salisbury Bank & Trust Company hosted a business communications seminar on June 27 at the main office in Lakeville. The one-and-a-half hour program was presented by Frank Mendelson, senior account executive and managing editor for PRIworks, a business communications company headquartered in New Jersey.About 15 people attended the seminar at which Mendelson spoke about, and presented illustrations of, effective business communications theory and strategy.Mendelson said, “90 percent of business is communication. It follows then that effective communication leads to better business.”He said three major areas provide a useful prism through which to review and assess how well communications are working: urgency, ownership and audience.On the topic of urgency, Mendelson said, “The greater the urgency, the greater the consequence of success or failure. Your goal is to have others embrace your energy.”Of ownership, he said, “Ownership of outcomes refers to the results you hope to achieve through successful communication.” And he said, “Communication is effective when based upon a thorough understanding of your audience.”“Most people in professional life know that listening skills are important,” he said. “However, listening is a practice and discipline.” He stressed that listening is the most important part of communication — not only listening to what others are saying but also listening to be sure they heard and understood your own message to them. “Listening is leadership,” he said. “Without being able to listen to your audience you cannot be an effective leader.”He encouraged his audience to watch for non-verbal clues in addition to listening to the words that are used.In talking about the importance of integrity in communications, Mendelson showed a video of Warren Buffet speaking at a seminar on the value of integrity. The financier said, “Look for three things in hiring someone. Look for integrity, intelligence and energy. If the candidate doesn’t have the first, the latter two will kill him. If they don’t have integrity, you want them dumb and lazy, you don’t want them smart and energetic.”Mendelson also said that clarity and being specific are integral components of effective communication. Specificity is required in communication because assumptions leave too much room for misinformation and misunderstandings.Communication is a two-way event. You want to not only be able to accurately communicate to others what you want them to hear and understand, you also want to understand how they heard you.For more information on Salisbury Bank & Trust Company’s public seminar series, call 860-435-9801 or go to www.salisburybank.com.