Communication is the very essence of socialization. While listening makes you a passive participant, talking is the part where it's your chance to exchange your ideas and opinion. However, in that case, when the tables turn, and you speak up, it is essential that what you say does not go unheard.
Here are some ways to make people not just "hear" but listen -
1. Practice What You Preach
You want people to listen to you? It would be best if you start by listening when people talk to you. On a personal front, listening to what the other person has to say helps establish a personal connection with the other person so that he/she would also want to hear from you.
Listening intently provides essential engagement and affirmation, which is practically what you look for when you start speaking. On the professional front, listening to the other party can give you important pointers for your speech and make your listeners active when you present yourself.
2. Content is the King
While listening is a prerequisite, content is a reflection of your intent. While when you start speaking, expressing yourself is your primary intent, sometimes being brutally honest can fire back! When excuses, complaining, and negativity are predominant, they can act as listening barriers and make people repel you. At the same time, giving formal speeches and presentations concisely expressing more works well.
Here, providing references to what other people might have spoken about and starting with relevant and relatable questions, sometimes midway through the speeches, can grab your listeners' attention. Incorporating what others want to hear into what you want to say can act as an icebreaker and remove the listening barriers.
3. Tune the Volume
A balance with the volume while talking is necessary. A loud voice can startle your audience, but it can also be used to regain their attention if they zone out. Similarly, having a lower volume can make people listen intently to what you want to convey, but it can make people lose interest when prolonged. There needs to be a balance between higher and lower volume and silence. Silence and causes between speaking give the listeners a quick moment to reflect and absorb your words.
4. Mind Your Tone
"Trickledown effect" is what can be used to describe how people perceive when you talk: process and absorb a lot less than what you intend to convey, and it further decreases as time goes on. Hence apart from volume and content, TEDx speaker Julian treasure has talked about how tone holds power when it comes to specific social contexts. According to his observations, people are more likely to vote for politicians with deep voices and everyday life, like listening to people with smooth and warm tones.
Not having a favorable voice in a given context is not totally a loss because though it is what you naturally possess, it can be altered. You can get professional help with targeted speaking and listening exercises to develop the correct tone according to your needs. Your tone is a vase for your emotions, and in any given speech, emotions are the catalyst for engagement.
5. Make Your Body Talk
Talking is just mere words coming out of your mouth, and it turns into communication when your body gets involved. Making eye contact, nodding, occasional pointing, and powerful yet subtle hand movements can make the eyes and the ears of your audience glue on to you.
A small action like raising eyebrows can raise the bar of emphasis on a given point. Simultaneously, the absence of appropriate body movements can diminish your presence, primarily when the environmental distractions act as the listening barriers.
Being heard is an inherent human desire. When you are able to convey your opinions and witness them having significance, your self-esteem receives a boost, and it can also help improve your mental health. So go and make your voice matter.
Written by - Aditi Rawat
Edited by - Mayank Tak
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