5 cures for the common blah blah blah
If you’re a nonstop talker who fills every conversation with your own ideas and observations, please hear this: PEOPLE ARE TUNING YOU OUT.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a full-throttle genius, a gifted orator, a high-titled leader, or a beloved figure who’s respected by all. Anyone who can’t turn it off at least some of the time will be turned off by most people all of the time.
Take our fictional friend Marcus as an example. While he’s droning on about his latest strategic philosophies, his colleagues are hearing this: “What we need to do as an organization is blah blah blah blah. We also need to blah blah blah. It reminds me of the time when blah blah blah blah blah….”
Marcus could be unveiling the greatest strategy of all time, and people would hear that blah-filled refrain and nothing else. Talk about a missed opportunity.
In your case, you might be a full-fledged Marcus, or you might have Marcus-like tendencies. Who knows. It’s hard for any of us to evaluate ourselves.
So play it safe and do the following:
1. Resist the urge to speak first or last at meetings. Both slots are an invitation to discussion domination.
2. Make a point of asking questions to get input from your colleagues. If it doesn’t come naturally to you, prep for meetings by writing a few questions on the topic at hand.
3. For an entire week, make it your mission to speak less and listen more. Think of it as your own strenuous personal-development exercise. Don’t announce it, just do it. And when it gets impossibly difficult, keep doing it. Reserve 10 minutes at the end of each day to review your progress.
4. Pick out one person in your workplace who speaks less and accomplishes more. Watch their approach and uncover the three or so things they do that make a difference. Then do the same in your own interactions.
5. Whenever you get the sense that you’re talking too much, you probably are. End your comments promptly with four simple words: “What do you think?”
Good advice for everyone in their work and personal lives. If you think you’re already doing this – maybe you are – but maybe, just maybe….you can do better. (Myself included.) Good stuff!