Effective Communicators are Good Listeners by Steph Beth Nickel

 

As communicators, we're used to writing words and sending them into the world and/or preparing messages to deliver to an audience.

But how do we do so effectively?

We must learn to listen to more than simply our own thoughts.

If applicable, we must listen to our clients, our publishers, our editors... Anyone we answer to. Anyone who helps us make our work better.

We must listen to potential readers to learn their "felt needs." This is especially important when we're writing nonfiction.

We must listen to our current readers to learn what they enjoy, what they've found helpful or entertaining, and what doesn't "hit home".

To an extent, we must listen to the experts and the current prevailing thoughts so we can consider how to most effectively share our message with others.

Listening to everyday conversations can make our written dialogue believable.

Making note of what we find effective (and what we feel falls flat) in the books we read and the movies we watch can also help us when we sit down to write.

We must also learn to "listen to" all our senses.

When we include what we've heard in our writing, it will take the reader even further into the experience if we include the emotions these sounds stir up in our characters. (Doing so without actually naming the emotions is a perfect example of showing rather than telling, but that's a subject for another time.)

What do we feel, not emotionally, but with our sense of touch? Do we describe the fabric as "rough" or do we say, "It felt like coarse sandpaper against his skin" or "She slipped on the satin blouse. It was so cool and light that it felt like there was nothing on her sunburned arms"?

What do we see? The more details we notice, the more it will enhance our writing, especially when it comes to painting a mental picture for our readers.

What do we smell? Smell is the sense most directly associated with memory. If we include recognizable odours and the sensations they evoke in our characters, it will draw readers into our stories. There may be times when it's appropriate to include the sense of smell in our nonfiction as well.

What do we taste? Have you ever participated in what many refer to as "mindful eating"? There is so much more to the experience of eating than most of us think about. If we slow down and consider the sensations, the thoughts, and the emotions we experience, this added awareness might just make it into our writing.

And when we, as Christians, listen, there is nothing more important than learning to listen to the Holy Spirit and following His guidance.

Of course, the Lord communicates most directly through His Word.

But we also must pay attention to our aspirations and interests. Even our fears, struggles, and trials. God just may use them to direct and enhance our writing, to make us more effect communicators.

One last thing...

A disclaimer (of sorts): We must learn to listen to that which will make our work better, but we must also learn when to "stand our ground". Otherwise, we will forever be revising our work and never sending it out into the world to accomplish what it can.