The powerful DBAE listening technique explained
You never get a second chance to listen to someone the first time – because if you’re daydreaming that might be the precise moment they’re sharing the key bit of information, or if you ask them to repeat what they’ve said, they might repeat what they’ve said in a less powerful way, or maybe they’re thinking is this person really interested in me. Or maybe you’ve heard what the person has said, but because your focus was fuzzy, you weren’t prepared to immediately act on what the person has said. If you’re like most people you’d rather listen to the thoughts in your head than listen to someone else. You’d rather think about what you did yesterday or will do tomorrow or about an event in the future. It takes effort and focus to stay in the moment.
How can you become a better listener? How can you listen so people want to speak? Here is one ‘how to’ step: Prior to your business meetings, in the top right hand corner of your notes for the meeting/notepad, write the acronym DBAE. This stand for ‘Don’t Be Anywhere Else’. DBAE is your self-cueing prompt to listen and be fully present in a meeting and to fully listen to what the other person(s) is saying. Though this technique may sound deceptively simple, it is one of the most memorable techniques used and recalled by my sales presentation and speech communication clients. DBAE.
