I'm noticing more and more that people are paying less and less attention, particularly to the smaller but sometimes incredibly important details. I send numerous emails pertaining to scheduling interviews, these emails give a specific time frame of availability and invariably many of the responses I receive will list a day or time that was not in the range of possibility. Mind you - these emails are no more than 3 or 4 sentences long, so the critical info was not hidden away in some dissertation. The same scenario happens frequently post telephone conversation as well - clearly people are not paying attention.
EX: Interview Confirmation - Your interview has been scheduled for 3pm Eastern Time on Monday, Oct 1st. Candidate cancels interview and asks to reschedule. I inquire why and I'm told "I can't make 3pm - I asked for Noon on Monday" - I advise them that 3pm Eastern IS Noon Pacific.
EX: Hello & thank you for your interest - lets schedule a time to talk! I'm available next Monday & Tuesday between Noon and 4pm Eastern. Reply: Hi! I'll take Monday at 9am!
How does one learn to pay attention:
Focus Art 101
#1. SLOW DOWN for a moment. Take a breath. Read and then RE-read the email to make sure you are understanding the content and then respond appropriately.
In conversation make an effort to really listen to the other person. It is not unusual for people to be considering what they are going to say next while the other party is speaking - if you are thinking about what you're going to say, you aren't listening to what the other person is saying.
#2. Eliminate distractions, don't be on the phone with one person and try to engage someone else in conversation, turn off television etc, don't text or tweet or instagram or facebook or whatever social media you prefer - FOCUS your attention on the conversation at hand.
#3. Make notes - did you agree to a 2pm interview tomorrow - write it down, put it in your day planner, set up an alarm on your phone etc. If you're in an interview - take notes of job expectation, salary, potential start dates, next steps in the process etc. Its a proven fact that the act of note taking actually helps with information retention.
#4. Ask questions. Asking questions shows you're interested... however if you're not paying attention your questions will likely get you into trouble. Take for example a conference call my colleague was involved in recently: There were multiple vendors on the line with a single client - the client was explaining their needs in detail and when the opportunity to ask questions arose one vendor representative asked questions that had clearly been answered during the client's presentation. I'm going to venture to guess that this particular vendor wont be winning any client satisfaction awards.
#5. Remember that these skills aren't just important in business. I've worked from home primarily for the last 13 years. I remember when my kids were younger, I'd be knee deep in business and somehow I'd end up saying "Yes" to things I'd never say yes to because I wasn't paying enough attention to what my kids were asking me. By exercising a little focus at the right time - we can all become better at paying attention.
Now what was I talking about?? :)
*Copyright - Expressed permission must be granted by the blog owner to recreate, copy or use this material* - but please feel free to share the link if you enjoyed the content!
How does one learn to pay attention:
Focus Art 101
#1. SLOW DOWN for a moment. Take a breath. Read and then RE-read the email to make sure you are understanding the content and then respond appropriately.
In conversation make an effort to really listen to the other person. It is not unusual for people to be considering what they are going to say next while the other party is speaking - if you are thinking about what you're going to say, you aren't listening to what the other person is saying.
#2. Eliminate distractions, don't be on the phone with one person and try to engage someone else in conversation, turn off television etc, don't text or tweet or instagram or facebook or whatever social media you prefer - FOCUS your attention on the conversation at hand.
#3. Make notes - did you agree to a 2pm interview tomorrow - write it down, put it in your day planner, set up an alarm on your phone etc. If you're in an interview - take notes of job expectation, salary, potential start dates, next steps in the process etc. Its a proven fact that the act of note taking actually helps with information retention.
#4. Ask questions. Asking questions shows you're interested... however if you're not paying attention your questions will likely get you into trouble. Take for example a conference call my colleague was involved in recently: There were multiple vendors on the line with a single client - the client was explaining their needs in detail and when the opportunity to ask questions arose one vendor representative asked questions that had clearly been answered during the client's presentation. I'm going to venture to guess that this particular vendor wont be winning any client satisfaction awards.
#5. Remember that these skills aren't just important in business. I've worked from home primarily for the last 13 years. I remember when my kids were younger, I'd be knee deep in business and somehow I'd end up saying "Yes" to things I'd never say yes to because I wasn't paying enough attention to what my kids were asking me. By exercising a little focus at the right time - we can all become better at paying attention.
Now what was I talking about?? :)
*Copyright - Expressed permission must be granted by the blog owner to recreate, copy or use this material* - but please feel free to share the link if you enjoyed the content!
