Just to review, we're looking at the 5 Steps of Good Listening this week. Step 1 is Pay Attention, Step 2 is Clarification. Step 3 is Evaluation.
Good listening requires evaluation. A conversation is an interaction. If one simply takes in information without evaluating and responding, neither side will feel satisfied.
Evaluation doesn't necessarily mean judgment. It means in a real estate context, once you are certain that you are clear on what the speaker means, is to provide context and a touch of reality.
You will find that evaluation step generates opportunities for more questions and clarification.
Step #4: Feedback
Step 4 in good listening is Feedback. Think of this as closing the loop. How many times have you said something with no response coming from anyone at all. Doesn't feel very good, does it?
An example: you are at a listing appointment and ask the seller what it is she likes about her home. After she finishes speaking, you go onto the next question or tell her what your next step is. In no way do you respond to what she said she likes.
This often leaves that seller feeling as if she said the wrong thing, or that you don't agree, or some other negative reaction. Remember, in the absence of information, people make up an explanation that suits them.
Let's change that example. After the seller finishes her list of what she likes, you say "uh huh" or "really" or some other minimalist response. Many times, these small acts of feedback will prompt more information from the speaker, and that is often the best bit of information because it comes from a deeper place. It wasn't on the tip of the seller's tongue.
Feedback can be extremely minimalist. It can be a nod or a non-committal expression of interest, like "really?"
The point of feedback is to demonstrate that you are interested and want to hear more.
The biggest problem with using a questionnaire is that we often go on to the question #2 once we have an answer to question #1 without probing or clarifying that answer. As a result, we may miss the real answer. People are generally pretty awful at providing clear information without some help from a skilled interviewer.
By asking follow up questions and demonstrating your interest, you encourage the speaker to continue. This is as useful in real estate as it is with your teenagers.
Tomorrow the final step: Reconfirmation
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