As sales professionals, effective communication is paramount to our success. When dealing with a prospect or customer, we have to be able to verbally persuade – and in order to persuade, we have to listen. What does my prospect care about? What tidbits of information did they give me that I can use to inform the direction of my value proposition? Knowing how to speak and how to listen are both fundamental and essential parts of our jobs.
In his book, How to Speak, How to Listen, Mortimer J. Adler makes the case that formal education fails to provide much instruction on public speaking (and none at all on listening). Unless you’ve taken a public speaking course, you probably had to develop these skills on your own. This book provides actionable strategies on how to improve public speaking and persuasion, and how to become an active and agile listener. If you’re looking to improve in either or both of these areas, I recommend picking up a copy of this book.
Here’s a summary from Amazon Books:
“Mortimer J. Adler’s classic How to Read a Book was an instant bestseller upon publication, and its worldwide sales today total over seven million copies. Audiences will find this companion book just as provocative as its predecessor.
“Drawing on decades of experience as an educator and philosopher, Mortimer J. Adler offers a short course in effective communication, filled with his wisdom and wit. Both instructive and practical, How to Speak, How to Listen will be invaluable to everyone: salespeople and executives involved in conferences and negotiations, politicians, lecturers, and teachers, as well as families seeking to improve communication among themselves.”
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