The ability to “know how to listen” is more difficult to find and develop than to be “good communicator”, but it provides more authority and influence than the latter. This is evidenced by Dr. Alexis Codina Jiménez, Director of the Center for Studies in Management Techniques (CETED) of the School of Accounting and Finance and Professor at the University of Havana, who also points out that we really spend more time listening that talking.
According to research, of the total time we dedicate to communication, 22% is used in reading and writing, 23% in speaking, and 55% in listening. This does not mean that we are more willing to listen than to speak, but that we are more exposed to receiving information than to transmitting it.
Other studies and experts such as Horacio Krell emphasize that only 7% of communication is verbal, because emotions are expressed in forms, tones of voice, expressions and gestures that you have to know how to listen. That is why we have to observe more what is done than what is said. And is that although you can talk without knowing what to say, listening is important to have a good communication and connection with people.
All these reflections and conclusions can undoubtedly help us to understand the true importance and potential of “active listening” in the media and social networks. Channels where information flows through multiple conversations in which we can participate, but above all, from which we can learn and extract valuable information.
This is something unquestionable for any type of strategy that we wish to develop through social media and networks. Companies and brands that seek to increase their visibility, interact and establish new links with their followers, users and potential customers must take an active stance and act in a planned manner. But for this, it is important to know in depth the audience and the target audience to which we are going. The best way, ‘listening’!
We all like to be listened to, if we want to like others we begin by listening. Learning to listen to other people will make them perceive us as an entity to trust and with which to establish more emotional and sincere relationships.
Consumers and users in social networks have many things to say about the brands or the products they consume. Some need an approach to know their perceptions, but many do it openly. They express their problems, opinions, experiences and perceptions generating information capable of influencing other users and consumers.
Those who know how to listen carefully, learn indirectly. The companies that maintain their attention in the information centers and the conversations where their brand is present or involved, can undoubtedly discover vital aspects that can have a direct impact on their own online reputation or help generate a greater perception of the brand itself .
The next time someone tells their problems or expresses their opinions about your company or brand, do not ignore it, do not underestimate it, do not think that since it is not yours, there is no point in paying attention to it! The Gift of Knowledge to listen is a valuable intangible for our company.