As a Motivational Speaker and expert on Sales and Leadership, I find that everyone is looking to improve their ability to Impact others in their lives—to influence them in order to get what they want. Yet their ability to Impact is hindered by the inability to listen.

Most people only hear others, and that limits their Impact skills. Hearing is defined by this simple formula:

Incoming Message + Reaction = Hearing

The problem this formula reveals is that we tend to immediately attach our assumptions to the message based on our experiences and bias—and then react accordingly. Many times our reactions are off base and emotional. This causes the other party to react in kind, which greatly diminishes our ability to Impact them.

The key to achieving maximum Impact is to add a third step, which transforms the act of hearing into effective listening. The formula for effective listening is:

Incoming Message + Assessment + Reaction = Effective Listening (Maximum Impact)

Adding the step of assessment gives you a moment to put aside your biases and experiences and listen for the intent of the message based on how the communicator sees the world. This will often lead you to ask follow-up questions to help clarify their perspective and intention. Once you have this information, your reaction will be on point, in keeping with the communicator’s point of view (and often with less emotion on your part). The result is your reaction will often elicit a more favorable response to your requests, which will in turn enhance your ability to Impact others.

ImpactING others is a key skill necessary to succeed in Sales, Leadership and Life. It is essential for gaining significance in other people’s mindsets, which leads to greater influence and success.

In your next conversation, be a leader by engaging in effective listening. Add the step of assessment and you will achieve maximum Impact in your conversations.