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How To Hear the Voice of the Customer
Stop talking and start listening
Have you ever met a person who does not know how to stop talking?
I recall being in a meeting with someone like that. It felt like the waves of words just kept coming and you couldn’t catch a breath.
After a few attempts to be heard, everyone else tuned out. As we left the meeting, a few of us gathered around the corner. First, some bonding over the painful experience: “He sure likes the sound of his own voice”. Then we did the postmortem on the problem.
It turned into a real discussion that should have happened in the room.
I’m sure you can recognize the type. They talk a lot and don’t hesitate to talk over others. They are often loud and dominant, and it’s hard to get a word in.
When they speak, they look happy, animated and in their own element. Often, they are completely oblivious to the body language around them and the temperature in the room.
How other people behave in their presence depends on their personality and level of influence. Some roll their eyes, some check out and stop paying attention, and some slam the door and leave.
Unless there is another strong personality in the room that can stop the barrage of words and facilitate the…
