Why No One Can HearYou When You Talk
It’s not because you aren’t loud enough.
“How the hell did she not hear me?”
I was making small talk with a customer at my job. I said something clearly, audibly, and without mumbling, to her face. She completely ignored it.
We were talking about health and fitness, and for much of the conversation, it seemed like I wasn’t even there. She would ask a question, I would give an answer, and halfway through my response, she’d be speaking again. At one point she asked, “Do you work out?”
I said, “Yes. I do actually.” And she said, “You really should.” She wasn’t agreeing with me. She said it as if I’ve never worked out in my life.
I figured she was just a poor listener, but I started recognizing that moments like this were common in my life. Even when I spoke clearly, I still wasn’t being heard. Other people would speak over me and my words weren’t getting through to anyone. Since then, I’ve figured out why.
What Makes a Speaker?
Picture a powerful speaker like Martin Luther King or JFK. Why did people listen to them? A confident voice was only a single aspect of what made them so compelling.
