How to improve your active listening skills in trade shows?

Trade shows can be incredible opportunities to establishing contacts professionals, learn more about your market and build new relationships.

But have you already felt overwhelmed. Through conversations at a trade show?

Or maybe you feel like Nobody listens to you really?

That's where theActive listening - one crucial skill to succeed In a

Professional environment, especially at these trade shows.

In this tutorial, we'll teach you how to improve your active listening skills at trade shows so you can Maximize your time and your efforts to get the better results.

What is active listening? 👂🏻

Active listening is the process during which you listen to your interlocutor in a conscious, by reacting to his words, by Observing his body language and by adopting an emotional state of mind adapted to that of your interlocutor.

Therefore, it is not not only to hear What the person is saying, but of understand its viewpoint, his preoccupations And its motivations.

This involves asking questions, thinking about what has been said, and clarifying where necessary.

The three-A rule 📏

We can summarize the behaviors to have for better active listening byThe rule of the three A's :

• Attitude 😊 : It's about how you approach the person you're talking to. To be a good active listener, you should always keep a open mindset And a attitude Positive — even if you don't agree with what he's telling you.
• lookout 🤔: you have to stay fully focused in conversation and shun any form of distraction. Put your phone away, put yourself in front of your interlocutor, to make sure yoube present physically AND mentally for your interlocutor.
• Adjustment 🤗 : You always need you Adapt to lyrics of your interlocutor. Don't try to steer the conversation or bring it to something you know about. Leave your interlocutor Guide you, this will allow it to open up better.

Why is listening important? 📈

Here are 5 listening stats you should know.

• The human being passes the The majority of his life communicating and 40% of his time is devoted to listening. When we listen to someone, we barely use 25% of our maximum mental capacity.
• The longer the conversation, the less information we remember. After 10 minutes of listening, we no longer retain only 50% of what is said. After 48 minutes, this number goes down to 25%.
• La nonverbal communication (The posture, the facial expressions And the Tone of voice) delivers 93% of the message while only 7% are not transmitted through words.
• Our mental ability to listen Is good Superior to our ability to speak. For 125 words spoken per minute, we can actually listen to (and think of) about 400 words.
• We don't Remember that 17% to 25% of what we listen to on average.

The benefits of active listening ✅

I hope that now you are convinced of the importance of active listening in your interpersonal relationships.

And, insofar as communication is the pillar of human relationships, active listening is a essential competence To be mastered in all situations — whatever they are Personal or professionals.

• Tool of personal development : talking less and listening better makes you more tolerant and patient.
• Establishing strong relationships : by improving communication and mutual understanding between individuals. By practicing active listening, you give the other person the opportunity to express themselves fully. without interrupting or judging him, and we show that we are really interested in what he has to say. This can create an environment of trust and mutual respect, which can strengthen personal and professional relationships.
• Building trust : In paying attention to detail and by showing interest in what others say, you can build trust and credibility with the people you meet.

• Discover of new opportunities and prospects that you might not have considered before.
• Better understand your market : By listening carefully to the needs And the concerns of others, you can better understand your market and find ways to improve your business.
• Development of new ideas : By listening to the ideas and opinions of others, you can develop new ideas and perspectives that can grow your business.

• Improvement of productivity : you can clarify instructions and expectations, which can improve productivity and the quality of work.
• Improvement ofthe information retention : taking notes will allow you to remember important details later.

• Reinforcement of Empathy : by understanding the viewpoints And the emotions of others, which can improve your ability to work with them.
• Avoid misunderstandings : By posing questions And in reformulant With the information you have heard, you can avoid misunderstandings and ensure that you fully understand what the other person means.
• Reducing conflicts : By actively listening and showing interest in the concerns of others, you can reduce conflicts and solve problems more quickly and effectively.

How can you improve your active listening skills at trade shows? 🤗

The acquisition of this skill can take time but it is essential to work on it since communication is the pillar of human relationships.

STEP 1: Get ready in advance ⏳

Before attending a trade show, take the time to Define your goals and the types of people you want to meet. You can also prepare a list of relevant questions to help guide the conversation.

Example of objective: Talk to 20 people and get 4 appointments to deepen the discussions.

Example of relevant questions:

• What are the exciting projects you are currently working on and how does your business plan to deliver them?
• How can you imagine a collaboration between our businesses that would benefit our customers and strengthen our professional relationships?
• Do you have recommended reading materials or resources to stay up to date in our field?
  
  

STEP 2: Be attentive and focused 🤔

Try not to Don't let yourself be distracted by other people or events around you.

Stay focused on the conversation at hand and make sure the person feels listened to and respected.

Tips: Maintain eye contact with the person you're talking to to build engagement and emotional connection.

Put your phone in your pocket.

STEP 3: Ask for clarification 👋🏻

Asking for clarification generally ensures that your interlocutor Develop the words previously said and therefore to have a better understanding of the situation.

STEP 4: Paraphrase 💬

User of the paraphrase allows you to reassure your interlocutor that you understand what he is saying to you and to make explicit Everything he could have Implicitly said.

NB: You can use the Mirrorring method through Criss Voss Which consists of repeat or rephrase the Last 3 words or sentences spoken by your interlocutor in order to show him that you are listening carefully and to clarify your understanding of what he said.

In practice, when your interlocutor finishes a sentence or an idea, you can also use sentences like”So if I understand correctly...” or”You mean that...” etc.

STEP 5: Ask open-ended questions ❓

One Open question is a question that cannot be answered with yes/no.

They are essential in the active listening process because they encourage your interlocutor to develop their response and thus improve communication.

Ask open-ended questions to encourage the person to talk about their needs, interests, and concerns.

Avoid closed-ended questions that require a short answer. This will help strengthen the relationship and show that you are a valuable partner.

Examples:

• Can you tell me more about what you are looking for in a professional partner or business?
• How would you describe your experience so far in your business/industry?

STEP 6: Take notes ✍🏻

Take notes during the conversation for you Remember important points.

It will help you better yourself prepare for follow-up and to remind you of the conversation in the future.

NB: With our application Cardynale, you can recontact the various people with whom you exchanged your contact details knowing what the conditions of your meeting and your conversations were.

Indeed, you can contextualize your encounter (who, where, when?) and add notes to remind you of the conversation with your interlocutor.

To find out more → https://cardynale.com/solution-entreprise

STEP 7: Show empathy 🤗

Empathy, it's not telling someone not to get upset or sharing a similar experience in order to make them feel better.

Sometimes it's not even trying toprovide a solution to his problem.

Empathy is simply Be there for the person, make him understand that we understand his problems.

It's about To comfort the person, and that improves the trust between you.

Tips:

• Put yourself in the other person's shoes: try to understand the person's emotions and feelings by imagining how you would feel in their situation.
• Be sincere: if you are not sincere, it will be noticeable and your attempt at empathy will be perceived as false or manipulative.
• Express your understanding: Use phrases like “I understand that this must be hard for you” or “I'm sorry you're going through this.”
• Use facial expressions and gestures to show empathy, such as nodding or smiling.

STEP 8: Summarize the words said ✏️

Like the paraphrase, summarise is a great way to Make sure you understand what the person you're talking to said.

It is not necessarily a question of reformulating in your own words, but of repeat the essential points of your conversation.

STEP 9: Avoid interruptions ❌

Avoid interruptions and wait for the person to finish speaking before asking questions or giving feedback.

Let the person speak at least 3 minutes without interrupting.

STEP: 10 Show gratitude 😊

Thank the person for taking the time to talk to you and for sharing useful information.

Let the person know that you Appreciate his time and expertise.

Tips: Don't say thank you in the wind, always add a reason behind it!

STEP 11: Follow the people 🤝

After the trade show, send an email or a message thanking the person for the conversation and for express your interest For a possible collaboration.

It can help strengthen the relationship and to maintaining contact.

Tips: Thanks to the feature”Reminder of meetings” Of the application Cardynale, don't forget the person you talked to.

Use the notes to remember your conversation and thus send a more personalized message to your interlocutor by discussing your last topic of discussion.

Why is it important to improve your active listening skills at trade shows? 🤔

When you attend a trade show, you often meet a lot of people and it can be Hard to remember of all the conversations you've had.

If you are not attentive and focused, you may wasting time talking with people who don't fit your purpose or missing out on important opportunities.

By improving your active listening skills, you can avoid these problems and be more effective in your interactions with others.

You can better understand the needs And the expectations people, ask relevant questions, and establish stronger relationships.

Conclusion

Active listening is a essential skill to succeed at trade shows professionals.

By following the steps above, you can improve your active listening and establish stronger relationships with the people you meet.

By being attentive, asking relevant questions, and showing interest, you can Maximize your time and your efforts to get the better results.

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