ROBERT J.R. GRAHAM: 3 Ways To Get Attention

3 Ways of Getting People’s Attention

by: Michael Grant

Follow the 3 Steps below to get people’s attention.

1. Know your listener

You cannot talk to everyone the same way. If you are going to talk about the concept of time and space to a group of teenagers, your approach must be different from talking to a group of Nobel laureates. The same goes to talking to your subordinates and talking to your superiors. I am not suggesting you talk down to your subordinates or start polishing apples when talking to your superiors but to customize your approach. You must talk with people not talk down or talk up. Talking down to anyone is a sure-fire way of turning off the person’s interest. The same can be said about sucking up.

2. Know your listener’s needs

We all have needs. You have your needs, I have mine and your listener definitely has his. Find out what he wants. Some needs are basic, such as food, clothes, shelter, love and others are learned such as desire to win, fancy cars and trophy wife. Desires varies according to each person’s circumstances but the one need that all of us have and rarely fulfilled is the desire to be important. Each of us has it printed in our forehead in big bold letters screaming “Pay attention to me. I am important”

The straying husband, the nagging wife, the rebellious teenager, the rioter in the street, all are crying out: Pay attention to me. And by paying attention to your listener, you will find out what your listener wants. By paying undivided attention to him, you will get him to pay attention to you. There is no other way for him.

3. Determine how to fulfill your listener’s need

Most of the time you already know this. You just have to customize your approach. If your are selling a house and your listener’s main concern, the thing that he desires the most , in a house is security then your approach must be security issues. There is no point talking about how beautiful the view of the nearby mountain is when the neighbourhood is notorious for break-ins.

By knowing your listener, paying attention to him and by fulfilling his needs you will be able to command anyone’s attention.

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