The #1 Communication Blind Spot I come across in my coaching practice is this … “I’m listening so I really know what you mean.” There’s an assumption here that meaning resides in the speaker, when in fact it resides in the listener. Why? Because I need to draw out what I think you are saying from my ‘Brain Vault’ of experiences and put ‘my’ meaning to it. That’s why “in my mind’s eye” I can see a totally different picture of what you are saying than what your mind sees.
The Blind Spot Solution is obvious, but NOT practiced enough in today’s fast paced digital driven world. Whether you are the speaker or the listener, simply ‘Check In’ with each other every so often (max after 20 mins) to make sure both have the same picture and shared meaning.
Experiment with this and discover the power and impact of ‘being heard’ … one of our 6 basic human needs.