1. Melanie Arthur Greg Newton Associates 617.834.6696arthurmel@aol.com The Customer Interview Effective Listening

2. © 2010 Melanie Arthur GregNewtonAssociates.com arthurmel@aol.com 617.834.6696 2 The Customer Interview 1.Establish a vision: Change agents create expectation for significant and lasting achievement. They give meaning to outcomes by associating even menial tasks with valued personal and professional goals. 2.Stimulate people to gain new competencies: Changes agents stimulate others to stretch their minds and their desire to learn. They freely share their own expertise and keep people in touch with new resources. 3.Help others to overcome obstacles: Change agents help others find the courage and strength to persevere in the face of difficulties. 4.Help others to overcome failure: Change agents help people cope with failure and disappointment. They are quick to offer others new opportunities for success when they fail. 5.Lead by example: Change agents are models of integrity and hard work. They set the highest expectations for themselves and, therefore, others. 6.Celebrate success: Change agents are quick to identify and focus on positive outcomes. What Good Change Agents Do

3. © 2010 Melanie Arthur GregNewtonAssociates.com arthurmel@aol.com 617.834.6696 3 The Customer Interview   Establish rapport   Customers determine their own career direction   Early identification of specific career problem the individual desires to solve   Help individuals to: - Understand and manage the career development and decision-making process - More fully know themselves - Establish their own criteria for career selection - Become aware of career options and opportunities and then make a choice - Realize that career choice is a process and not a one-time event   Ensure career decisions are based on reliable data   Make necessary adjustments and compromises as career decisions are implemented. Principles of Effective Career Counseling

4. © 2010 Melanie Arthur GregNewtonAssociates.com arthurmel@aol.com 617.834.6696 4 The Customer Interview …a set of verbal and non-verbal interactions between two or more people, focused on gathering information for a variety of purposes…to learn; to understand context and situations; to influence; to identify and solve problems; to decide on a course of action. 1.Gather 2.Analyze 3.Decide 4.Act Career Planning Service Planning Program Selection Job Referral for:

5. © 2010 Melanie Arthur GregNewtonAssociates.com arthurmel@aol.com 617.834.6696 5 The Customer Interview Hearing is automatic. Listening is the act of hearing with intention. Listening is the absorption of the meaning of words and sentences by the brain Listening leads to the understanding of facts and ideas. Listening takes attention, or sticking to the task at hand in spite of distractions Listening requires concentration, which is the focusing of your thoughts upon one particular thing Listening is a learned skill; it takes conscious effort

6. © 2010 Melanie Arthur GregNewtonAssociates.com arthurmel@aol.com 617.834.6696 6 The Customer Interview Challenges to Listening Interrupting other’s Finishing other’s sentences Planning answers or solutions while others are still talking Not listening to the whole message, information or content Misinterpreting non-verbal signals Barriers to Listening Takes time Takes a clear mind Emotional state Bias or prejudice Semantics and languages Noise and verbal clutter Boredom Shrinking attention span How long can people listen before minds begin to wander? 17 seconds.

7. © 2010 Melanie Arthur GregNewtonAssociates.com arthurmel@aol.com 617.834.6696 7 The Customer Interview 1.Receiving: consciously paying careful attention. Competencies: motivated to be open, knowledge of cultural differences, skills of focusing and clarifying 2.Constructing meaning: assigning and clarifying the content and what is meant. Competencies: motivated to respect differences, knowledge of perceptual biases, skills in analyzing objectively 3.Responding: non verbal and verbal. Competencies: motivate to show interest and respect, knowledge of feedback, skills in asking questions Listening Objectives   Learn and comprehend   Empathize and understand   Evaluate and critique …all three apply to Employment Counseling Listening Process Steps

8. © 2010 Melanie Arthur GregNewtonAssociates.com arthurmel@aol.com 617.834.6696 8 The Customer Interview Passive Listening: Understand perceptions, listen to word and listen body language Offer non-verbal cues: hand and body gestures, eye contact, smiles and frowns. Active Listening: Encourage, ask questions, paraphrase Offer verbal cues: relevant questions, para- phrasing statements, reflections, affirmations

9. © 2010 Melanie Arthur GregNewtonAssociates.com arthurmel@aol.com 617.834.6696 9 The Customer Interview Listening to Body Language   Facial Expressions -- indication of emotions   Eye contact - interest, confidence, attention (Lack of eye contact - disinterest, discomfort, shame/guilt)   Hands and Legs Movement Body Language All the signals given by a person either by voluntary or involuntary body movement. It includes all gestures, postures and expressions through which an individual displays his physical and mental state in order to communicate non verbally with others. Open palms reflect sincerity. Biting nails reflects nervousness. Rubbing of hands reflects anticipation. Walking to and fro reflects urgency or impatience. Keeping your hands and legs folded reflects disagreement or lack of attention.  Posture --  Posture -- Shrugged shoulders and slouching indicates fear or boredom, whereas broad shoulders and upright position indicates confidence. Hands on hips reflect authoritarian stance, while hands behind the head gives a hint of relaxation. Leaning forward when you are taking to someone in person stresses your interest towards the person (or what the person is talking about).

10. © 2010 Melanie Arthur GregNewtonAssociates.com arthurmel@aol.com 617.834.6696 10 The Customer Interview   Wait for more information   Allow yourself to absorb an entire thought or series or thoughts   Don’t jump to conclusions too soon   Arrive at conclusions naturally and gracefully   Assume you do NOT “know” what you are going to hear   Focus on content (what they say) and avoid judging delivery -- (how they say it)   Remember you are seeking information, not confirmation   What’s being said is NOT getting in the way of what needs to be said…take a breath…hang in there. Suspend Value Judgments

11. © 2010 Melanie Arthur GregNewtonAssociates.com arthurmel@aol.com 617.834.6696 11 The Customer Interview Listening Tips Stop talking! Do not interrupt! Stop talking! Do not interrupt! Acknowledge the speaker Acknowledge the speaker Make regular eye contact Make regular eye contact Relaxed attention Relaxed attention Be, and look interested Be, and look interested Take notes Take notes Keep an open mind Keep an open mind Look for body language Look for body language Eliminate distractions, no interruptions Eliminate distractions, no interruptions Schedule time and set environment for listening Schedule time and set environment for listening Do not get lost in own thoughts Do not get lost in own thoughts Don’t jump to conclusions or solutions Don’t jump to conclusions or solutions Do not judge while listening; silence personal views and beliefs Do not judge while listening; silence personal views and beliefs Be mindful or age, race and gender bias Be mindful or age, race and gender bias Build trust Build trust Wait for pauses to ask questions Wait for pauses to ask questions Ask relevant questions only Ask relevant questions only Feel the speakers feelings, show empathy Feel the speakers feelings, show empathy Give feedback Give feedback Repeat what has been said, make sure you have understood Repeat what has been said, make sure you have understood Think about what is not said Think about what is not said