I’ve been re-visiting Oscar Trimboli’s great book, ‘How to listen’. In chapter one, he states, ‘Listening is the willingness to have your mind changed.’ It got me thinking about the importance of listening when we are offered feedback.

A more empowered approach:

I believe, ‘Listening to feedback offered to you is your willingness to choose to change your mind.’  This slightly different approach puts you in the driver’s seat.  Rather than someone else having the power to change your mind, you choose to change it. It’s a more empowered way to think about listening.

‘Listening to feedback offered to you is about your willingness to choose to change your mind.’

When it comes to feedback, you have choices regarding how you respond to it.

A big part of feeling empowered when being offered feedback is knowing you can choose how you respond.  For even more choice, think of responding to feedback in terms of degrees, rather than an ‘All or Nothing’ response. When someone offers you feedback, you can choose to:

• Listen to all of it, some of it, or none of it.

• Consider all of it, some of it, or none of it.

• Value all of it, some of it, or none of it.

• Agree with all of it, some of it or none of it.

• Change your mind about all of it, some of it, or none of it.

• Change your behaviour about all of it, some of it, or none of it.

When listening to feedback offered to you, how useful are your choices?