Conversely, you can use this “reflective” technique when you are the listener, too. I am a big fan of the phrase, ‘What I think I am hearing you say is... Is that right?” This will go a long way to making sure that you and your conversation partner are on the same page. This goes for co-workers, clients, prospects and in your personal life as well.
This is a confusing world. There is a lot of noise out there that distracts us from concentrating on the simplest task like talking to someone. We are glancing at cell phones, reading e-mail and listening to music all at the same time. We like to brag that we are multi-taskers. And we are. But slowing down and making sure that we understand someone else is one simple way to avoid confusion and keep things clear as a bell.

Blogger, author, consultant, coach and all around evangelist for the graphic arts industry, Kelly sold digital printing for 15 years so she understands the challenges, frustrations and pitfalls of building a successful sales practice. Her mission is to help printers of all sizes sell more stuff. Kelly's areas of focus include sales and marketing coaching, enabling clients to find engagement strategies that work for them and mentoring the next generation of sales superstars.
Kelly graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science and, among other notable accomplishments, co-founded the Windy City Rollers, a professional women's roller derby league. She is also the mother of two sets of twins under the age of ten, so she fears nothing.