October 16, 2012 • Volume 3, Issue 21 • ISSN: 2154-3240

In This Issue

♦	Feature Article: Active Listening vs. Already Listening
♦	Ask Amanda: How do I handle executing decisions I don’t agree with?
♦	Practical Tips: Nonverbal Cues

Active Listening vs.
Already Listening

Most have heard of active listening (ha!) but few realize the impact that “already listening” has on our work and our lives. Already listening is the idea that we’re predisposed to hear messages that fit our worldview and ignore or reject those ideas that do not fit. This can lead to a series of miscues and miscommunications that waste time, energy, and money.

Imagine an innocuous request from a boss such as, “I’d like to see the team in my office.” Active listening would interpret this for what it is, the boss has an urgent problem and needs help. Already listening has the team in a full-on panic mode, imagining something terrible has happened and someone is going to pay. Because the second interpretation is loaded with emotion, it will undoubtedly spread like wildfire.
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	You get what you give.

Practical Tips:
Nonverbal Cues

If you spend a lot of time online, you should be aware that doing so may have partially rewired your brain in such a way that when you meet people face to face, you're less capable of figuring out what they're thinking. Most research suggests that 55% to 58% of person-to-person communication is nonverbal.

Scientific literature and ongoing research suggests that excessive long-term exposure to “electronic environments,” such as the Web, texting, and gaming, reconfigures neural networks and diminishes users’ ability to develop empathy, interpersonal relations, and nonverbal communication skills.
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Now that I'm in senior management I am often in meetings where I don't agree with the decisions that are made. Any suggestions? K.F., Tampa, FL

It’s not unusual to find yourself in a situation where you're just one leader among many. In these meetings, keep your focus on the big picture and be vocal about what you believe the best path forward is.
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About Us: Our Corporate Life LLC (OCL) is a company that offers a new system for reducing unnecessary workplace suffering caused by the organizational, interpersonal, and ethical issues of our time. It is founded on the belief that adhering to core human values and achieving business success are always compatible. Working with both companies and individuals, OCL helps create solutions that enable corporate employees at every level to optimize profits while enabling them to thrive in the corporate environment. OCL was founded by Amanda Mitchell to help meet the needs of people working in corporate America during this transformative moment in our nation's history. The OCL system reflects her experience and insight gained from a 20–year corporate career working with Fortune 500 companies, and as an executive coach to senior–level corporate executives.