The Better Blogger, The Good Listener
When it comes to speaking, there are three types of people:
• those who speak so that other people can listen;
• those who speak only to hear their own voice;
• those who speak because they just can’t shut up.
If you want to be a better blogger, you’d definitely want to be in the first group.
But what does it take to be a good orator? You’d probably say it takes good communication skills, ability to adapt from audience to audience and a spontaneous character.
Some people have these skills written in their DNA, others train them. If you’re looking to speak or write better you should first consider listening and reading more and better.
“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak”
Epictetus, Greek philosopher
Advantages of being a good listener
Why and how should listening improve our communication skills? First of all, by paying attention to our audience we can observe and analyze the level of interest, which would make it a lot easier to adapt from a situation to another. Therefore, a better blogger is a blogger who listens to his community is more likely to provide real answers and help to real questions. Solutions make people happy.
By taking time to listen you’re more likely to have something interesting to say after. Think about how that could come in handy when trying to write a follow up or an opinion post.
Have you ever listened to people around you; not only to those talking specifically about things that you blog approaches, but purely mundane topics? You’ll be amazed how many interesting ideas can be generated from simple, friendly chats. Satisfying the most basic needs can make most people happy. A good orator knows what masses what to hear.
Listening is also a great way to gather more knowledge. Knowledge gives you more opportunities and also allows you to explore fields where no one has stepped. If you take 2 hours for your daily writing, take at least as much to read. It keeps you fresh, inspired and why not, original.
“Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.”
Bernard M. Baruch, American Economist and adviser to US presidents
The emotional factor
Take a real life example: women are especially attracted to men that know how to listen. Also, it’s a know fact that women tend to act more on instinct and emotions. So, for them enjoying a good listener is an emotional factor.
Listening can create an emotional bridge between you and your audience. Showing interest in what other people have to say qualifies you as a caring person, and for a blogger that wants to be helpful that is a big plus.
To summarize
In order to be a better blogger you need to be a good listener and reader. Why? Because you only have to gain from it:
- You’ll learn new things;
- You’ll be more insightful;
- You’ll be more interesting;
- You’ll be more original;
- You’ll be more helpful;
- You’ll adapt and connect easier.
And just for the fun of conversation, share with Blogsessive’s community a situation when being a good listener made your day. That could come in handy for some of us.
Photo credits to Sophie.
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Nice article man.
I’m sorry, what did you say? I wasn’t listening.
Good points. As a blogger, a good one at least, you have to always keep up with the trends and what’s happening around you in the blogosphere. That’s why I find research to be as important as the writing itself, actually the research is often more time consuming then the actual blogging. Ah, and another thing, it seems being an active blogger gets you laid too =)
Absolutely agree. It’s worth noting that you should do both “active” listening and “passive” listening. Active listening might equate to focusing on topics, listening to someone in particular, examining a particular argument. Passive listening I see as “keeping an ear to the ground”. Being aware of what’s going on, being ready to react to the buzz, being one of the first to hear a new whisper.
On another note – while listening is important, as bloggers I think we have to be careful that listening doesn’t lead to repetition. There’ll always be a degree to which those in a particular clique or area of interest will be talking about the same things. But it can be all to easy – even without noticing – to start parrotting the arguments and ideas you agree with. Make sure to put your own stamp on the things you talk about.
The quotes remind me of a quote my sixth grade teacher had blown up huge and hung above the chalkboard.
“God made your mouth to close and your ears to always be open for a reason”
Thanks everyone!
@Robin, nice comment. Good point on active and passive listening.
@Summer Fey Foovay: Thanks for the quote. Worth remembering.
Robin,
Don’t you remember? Talent borrows; genius steals.
Listening skills are vital for anything, especially for jobs (or passions) that requires an audience. Blogging among those. You’ve made a strong point there.
Good points. As a blogger, a good one at least, you have to always keep up with the trends and what’s happening around you in the blogosphere. That’s why I find research to be as important as the writing itself, actually the research is often more time consuming then the actual blogging. Ah, and another thing, it seems being an active blogger gets you laid too