Author Archives: Colin Smith

Curious how three emails I received this week all fitted so well together. The first to land was a blog post from Seth Godin.  Seth sees the world differently to most commentators, and his writing is so spot on it can stop me … Continue reading →

I invite you to imagine that you have purchased tickets for a concert given by a world famous pianist.  As the day arrives you are filled with excitement, looking forward to finally being able to hear her live for the first … Continue reading →

“Spending time with my family and loved ones”, is what most people will say if you ask them what they will be doing this Christmas. I also believe, sadly, that in most households there will be far more arguing and … Continue reading →

The Listener’s Way The first of six on listening and being heard. Introduction Tom Peters (Author of many books including In Search of Excellence), believes that seven out of every eight managers are 18 second managers, i.e. they interrupt on … Continue reading →

“In this world, nothing can be said that is certain, except death and taxes” Benjamin Franklin I am inspired to write this piece, by a friend of mine who recently announced on Facebook to all his friends, that the cancer had … Continue reading →

In a recent conversation with a friend who works for a major global services provider, I stood, mouth opened, to what he was sharing with me. Here was someone, with over 20 years service in front line, i.e. serving high-end … Continue reading →

So Colin, what do you do? I am known as The Listener. The Listener?  What does that mean? When was the last time you felt really heard? Oh come on, we all know how to listen. Do we? Sure, I … Continue reading →

Assumptions not beliefs Beliefs are personal and have been part of the speaker’s past conditioning and are therefore harder to shift.  Assumptions, on the other hand, can be likened to beliefs, but assumptions can be explored more easily and dropped … Continue reading →

Silence…..and lots of it Use silence always and often.  Silence means you are listening, as long as you are fully present with them.  The speaker will really appreciate your silence, they depend on it for their thinking.  In the silence, … Continue reading →

Attention The greatest gift we can give to one another is our attention.  Attention brings everything together in The Listener’s Way for the benefit of the speaker.  When giving one’s full attention, the speaker knows that they are being heard, … Continue reading →