Clients Gravitate to Great Listeners!
4 Ways to Show Clients That YOU are Whole Heartedly Listening
You can be a dynamite speaker, excellent in the courtroom, or an outstanding writer - but the true strength of a great lawyer comes from the ability to LISTEN.
Listening - truly listening - to someone demands incredible concentration and a deep desire to understand the client who is speaking.
Great listeners have the ability to make you feel completely understood and recognized.
Here are four ways you can strengthen your client relationships during a conversation.
1. Employ empathizers.
Show empathy with more than an unconscious "uh huh" or "umm."
Dust your dialogue with phrases like "I see what you mean," or, "That's interesting."
When you respond with complete sentences instead of grunts, your listener feels that you really understand.
2. Empty their tanks.
Your client's brain is like a topped-off tank of gas.... over flowing with his or her own thoughts and worries.
If you want your clients to listen to the expert advice you have to give, let them "empty their tanks" first. Wait patiently until they have had their entire say, and the needle is on empty. Only then will they hear you.
3. Listen with your eyes.
Don't just listen to what your client is saying. Picture it.
As he or she speaks, create a visual of the story. This will help you understand, follow and remember the story.
If you retain only the words of the story, you will forget it later.
4. Echo the emotion.
When clients emote, respond with words that show you have heard what they say and understand their feelings. Such empathy calms a client's emotional storm.
For example: "You must feel terrible."
Mastering the skill of listening takes work.
But, once it is polished, it may radically transform your ability to communicate - and how you practice law!
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