Seek first to understand then to be understood

Attentive listening: Paying attention, but still listening from oneвЂ™s own perspective.Selective listening: Hearing part of what the person says, but generally distracted.Pretend listening: Saying вЂњuh huhвЂќ and вЂњright,вЂќ but not being present in the conversation.

Covey coins this as вЂњautobiographical listening.вЂќ Listening in this way results in the intention to agree or disagree, give counsel based on our own experience or to interpret motives and behavior based on our own psyche.ДЄccording to Covey, there are five levels of listening. Additionally, we tend to frame what others say based on our own perspective. Most often we are too busy preparing our response for when itвЂ™s our turn to speak. Most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand. The process begins with listening to others. Content creation and delivery of marketing messages evolve based on the knowledge of, appreciation for and empathy with the companyвЂ™s target audiences and stakeholders.

It is the marketerвЂ™s role to create a meaningful, compelling and marketplace-centered messaging that is consistent with the companyвЂ™s mission, vision and brand. The fifth habit is вЂњSeek first to understand, then to be understood.вЂќ From a marketing perspective, the foundation of this habit is communication.

For the last four weeks, weвЂ™ve been discussing the habits of highly effective marketers based on the principles described by Stephen Covey in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Seek first to understand then to be understood