An audience of effective listeners also can boost a speaker’s self-esteem and make speaking an exhilarating experience.
How many times have you had people really listen to you?
How often have you had an opportunity to educate others?
How frequently have your ideas and recommendations been taken seriously?
If your answer is “seldom” or “never,” you may be in for a pleasant surprise when you make your presentations. You will soon discover that there are few things quite as rewarding as having people really listen to you and respect what you say. As Henry David Thoreau once commented, “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” Negative evidence of the importance of this factor is provided by the difficulty many women executives have in American business. Often they hold an organizational title, but are not regarded as company “insiders.” Consequently, they are sometimes not taken seriously when they speak. They suffer, and the company suffers from the loss of their ideas.