BRX Pro Tip: 4 Ways To Be A Better Active Listener
Stone Payton: Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, let’s talk a little bit about becoming a better active listener.
Lee Kantor: Yeah. When we’re training our hosts, being an active listener is a key component of what makes a good host and a good interviewer. And some of the the tips that we suggest to our hosts are these.
Lee Kantor: Number one, give your guest your full attention. This is not a time to be multitasking, doomscrolling on your cell phone. The basics of active listening is actively listening. You have to listen. You have to be paying attention. You can’t be doing other things. You really have to be in the moment if you’re going to be a good, active listener.
Lee Kantor: Number two is try not to cut the guest off or talk over them. You have to be respectful. You have to give them the opportunity to tell their story in its entirety. And so, being respectful and patient and letting them talk is part of that. You know, if you don’t want your guest to give a rambling question or go off on tangents, then ask better questions because you can control some of that if you ask a clear question.
Lee Kantor: Number three when they have an answer, build on their answer. Ask clarifying questions. Dig deeper. Be curious. Those are things that are important because this helps your guests articulate the message they’re trying to communicate. So, if you’re building on what they’re saying, you’re going to help them give a better answer and create a better content that is going to be more likely to be shared.
Lee Kantor: And then, lastly, number four is stay neutral. You know, try and be a safe, judgment free zone for your guests by supporting and celebrating their work. At least at Business RadioX, we’re not investigative reporters trying to dig and trying to uncover some scandal. We’re here to help our guests articulate their message.
Lee Kantor: And by employing these active listening techniques, you can conduct more effective interviews, you can build better rapport with your interviewees, you can gather more insightful information, and most importantly, you’re going to create content for your guests that will be more likely to be shared by your guests, which is what everybody wants.
