and no one ever seems to hear me. (NORMAL VOICE) What?

(LOUD VOICE) I have a lot of important things to say,

and no one ever seems to hear me.

(NORMAL VOICE) Ow, OK, I hear you now.

But getting people to listen has less

to do with volume than strategy.

And in the workplace, being heard

has a huge impact on whether you're seen as competent,

get credit for the work you do, and are

able to get your job done.

In this video, I'm going to share

tips to improve your chances of being heard at work

without having to scream.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

First things first, listen well.

Before you can expect others to listen to you,

you need to understand and demonstrate

active, engaged listening.

Sure, a good listener will be quiet,

but they will also show that they

are processing the speaker's points attentively.

We have a whole other video on active listening,

with more tips, that we'll link to in the description.

The point here is that listening is

a prerequisite to being heard.

Now, let's talk about what you can do when it's your turn.

Lay the groundwork.

There are a few things you can do to increase

your chances of being heard.

In the short term, you can encourage your counterparts

to focus.

Keep in mind that you are most likely competing for attention.

Your colleague may be checking their email,

thinking about their next meeting,

or feeling distracted by modern life.

To get their attention, you can simply request it

by saying something like, "I'd love your full attention,

if possible.

I also understand you may have other things on your mind

at the moment, and I'm happy to return to this whenever is good

for you."

Another short-term idea is to put important things in writing.

Research has shown that people only

remember a small fraction of the things they listen to.

If you're in a setting where your audience can

read along and hear you speak at the same time,

there's a better chance they'll absorb and retain

what you have to say.

Lastly, and this one takes more time,

build relationships with people around you.

Take the time to get to know them and earn some credibility.

The more they respect you on a personal level, the more likely

they will take the time to listen to what you have to say.

Pay attention to your words.

Your boss or colleague likely spends a huge portion

of their day listening to others,

so you have a limited amount of time to capture their attention

and be heard.

Get to the point, and only provide the necessary context

for your message to be heard.

Author Ben Parr reminds us that "Attention is the most important

currency anyone can give you."

So spend it wisely.

Next, choose your words carefully, especially

in situations where strong emotions can prevent people

from being attentive listeners.

Author and Communication Expert Holly Weeks

suggests keeping your language simple, clear, direct,

and neutral.

Here are some good rules of thumb

to being heard in a heated situation.

Own your perspective as your opinion.

Start sentences with I, rather than

you, so your listener doesn't feel accused and shut down.

Starting with I can also show that you acknowledge

your role in a situation and help you identify what you hope

will happen.

For example, "I was late in getting

you the numbers for your report because I felt like you

might question my methods.

I'd like to clear the air so that our next report will be

on time and more successful."

Don't apologize for your feelings with phrases like,

"I feel so bad about saying this,"

or "This is really hard for me to do."

This takes the focus away from the issue at hand,

and makes the person feel obligated to take care

of your feelings before moving on instead of listening

attentively.

Use and instead of but.

It's not necessary for someone else

to be wrong for you to be right.

But is a naturally combative word,

and could make your counterpart stop listening.

By contrast, using and can engage in collaborative problem

solving, like "You mentioned that we need X.

And I'm concerned that will draw resources away from Y.

What are our options here?"

This word choice can perk up your listener

and draw them into truly hearing what you have to say.

Similarly, use hypotheticals to jump

start an imaginative discussion, which

is more engaging than one where everyone

is defending their points.

You could say, "I hear you're concerned about A. I wonder

if we could do that by starting with B.

What would that look like?"

Author Ben Parr reminds us that repetition is also

key to capturing people's attention.

It can help them embrace an idea they may have

been predisposed to ignore.

Bottom line, don't be afraid to repeat a message

if you want it to sink in.

Don't be afraid to repeat a message

if you want it to sink in.

If needed, change the tenor of the conversation.

Despite our best intentions, conversations

don't always go as planned.

Things can get heated or go off the rails in some other way.

And when this happens, people certainly won't hear you.

My advice?

Don't panic.

Pause and take a mental step back

to see the situation objectively,

as if you were a curious fly on the wall.

How would you describe what's happening?

"Hmm.

How interesting.

Every time I bring up the sales numbers,

she stops listening and raises her voice."

Then state what you are observing

and suggest a different approach.

You could say, "I notice when the sales numbers come up,

you seem frustrated.

If we put our heads together, I think

we could come up with a way to move past this.

Do you have any ideas?"

This shifts the conversation to talk about the process

itself so that you can get back to the substance at hand,

rather than a power struggle over who's right

and who's wrong.

Here are some alternate phrasings

you can use to make the conversation more productive.

"I have a different perspective, but clearly you

think this is unfair.

How can we fix this?"

"Can you help me make the connection between this

and the other issues that we're talking about?"

"Is there anything I can say or do that might convince you

to consider other options here?"

Next, pay attention to your body language

and that of your counterpart.

The words coming out of your mouth are only half the story.

Your nonverbal communication can either undermine or elevate

what you have to say.

Wordless actions, like aggressive finger pointing

or slouching, can convey that you're

overbearing or not interested.

Confidence is key here.

It draws people in and motivates them to listen.

So how do you communicate confidently?

Authors Amy Jen Su and Muriel Maignan Wilkins

use the acronym CENTER to help people remember six key sources

of nonverbal communication.

C stands for core posture.

How is your posture?

Are you standing tall or slouching?

E is eye contact.

Do you make eye contact or avoid it?

N, natural gestures.

What are you doing with your hands, shoulders, and feet?

Are you fidgeting, clenching your fists,

or gesturing naturally?

T stands for tone, tempo, timing.

Are you speaking clearly, calmly, and audibly?

E, expressions of the face.

What expressions are you making?

And how might those be interpreted?

And lastly, R stands for regions and territory.

How do you take up space in the room?

This, of course, is a lot to think about in the moment.

So don't get too hung up on asking yourself these questions

as you're talking.

The key is to simply be aware of what messages

you're sending beyond the words coming out of your mouth.

You also want to pay attention to the other person's body

language for any clues about how receptive

they are to what you're saying.

If you notice something, consider an observation

like, "I hear you saying that you're fine with this approach,

but it looks as if you still might have some concerns.

Am I reading that right?

Should we talk those through?"

A side note to managers here--

all of your employees have valuable things to say.

But they all very likely learn different ways to communicate.

I urge you to be hyper aware of your own biases,

cultural, gender-based, or otherwise that favor

some styles over others.

For instance, are meetings set up in such a way

that introverts and extroverts have equal opportunities

to be heard and get credit for their ideas?

Do some people in your organization

tend to be valued and advantaged over others

because of their perceived confidence,

rather than actual talent?

It's critical that you hear everyone and model

that behavior for others.

You deserve to be heard, but that doesn't always

mean you will be.

There are some simple rules of thumb

to help you assert yourself and increase the chances that people

will listen to your ideas and respect your opinions.

Thanks for watching.

All of these strategies are based on HBR articles linked

in the description.

Do you have any advice on how to improve your chances of being

heard, or do you have other big topics you'd like me to cover?

Comment below.

Bye for now.