The beautiful part about being a human is how seamlessly we can share our thoughts and communicate with each other. With that communication comes a complex package of expectations, etiquette, formalities, and nuances.  We are all very attentive to these subtle differences in our conversational partners and sometimes make assumptions about them based on our observations. For that reason, being a strong communicator is a very important skill to have in any setting.  

So, how can you be a strong communicator? One good thing to do is listen to understand, and not to respond.  

This is a difficult skill to have but it gets better with practice. Retaining and recalling information is hard enough as it is. Only 25% of what we hear is remembered, and when we are distracted thinking about what we should say in response, we retain even less information. To enumerate, a Princeton study shows that there is a lag time between what you hear and what you understand.  

A way to counteract this is to actively listen. This means that when someone is telling you something, you respond with a paraphrased version of what they said, then go on to elaborate with your own thoughts. This same technique can also be used when trying to remember someone’s name. This method drastically increases recall.  

So try it in a conversation you have today, and focus on actively listening and reiterating what your conversational partner says. Hopefully you notice verbal and non-verbal cues that indicate their engagement in the conversation,. You have a talk with more quality.

We are going to be listening to Jake Jordan who is the co-host of the YouTube Channel, "The unlearned show".

" Hey there. This is Jake Jordan, and this tip is going to be about distraction. Distraction is one of the most distinctly unique things we go through in the twenty-first century. So much that is right out in front of us. Depending on what research you read, in a typical business day we lose 3.5-5 hours a day just on distraction. So that means you might work two hours a day. Isn't that crazy? That is when it becomes so critical to spend our time on things that we know will help us produce outcomes. Good news is distraction can be overcome with one surgical chest move in your day. It is called time-blocking or schedule everything. Get a calendar and schedule all of the important things in your day. I know that sounds tedious, and like there is too much to it. So, her is the shortcut. If you do not want to schedule everything, Take the most productive hour of your day, and do your most important tasks. That is it. That is the whole thing. Take your two or three biggest things to accomplish and try to do it in that one hour and I guarantee you will get more done tomorrow. So, go out, find that hour, and do that work".