“This Guy Knew How To Listen!”

In November 2017, I had the opportunity to meet someone called, Geoff Hudson-Searle, who was an author and the managing director of a company that helps businesses to succeed. Our paths crossed after I sent him a message on a social media site and he suggested that we meet for a coffee.

I thought that it would be great to meet Geoff, which meant that I was only too happy to do this. Before I messaged him, I had read an article that he wrote called - ‘Why is customer service constantly so bad in the UK?’

A Solid Write Up

There were a number of points that stood out in this article, and some of these points were already on my mind. In the beginning, it seemed as though I messaged Geoff because of the article.

But once I met Geoff, I soon came to see that there was more to this than I thought there would be. When we got together, we did speak about customer serve but only for a short while.

Other Areas

In a way, I was expecting to meet someone who was very ‘left brained’, and this was due to the kind of industry that he worked in. Yet, I soon came to see that this was someone who was very much in touch with both sides of his nature.

This meant that when I spoke about the kind of things that I wrote about, he was interested in what I had to say. Not only that, he could also relate to some of the stuff that I was talking about.

The Listener
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After we had been speaking for a short while, he mentioned someone called, Colin Smith - he said that this was someone who I was likely to get on well with. One of the things that I remember him saying - in regards to Colin - was that listening was an important part of what he did.

I was intrigued at this point and, soon after I got home, Geoff introduced me to him via email. It didn’t take long to arrange a meeting; it took place around two weeks later.

A Unique Encounter

When I first met Colin, what stood out was that he had a strong energy about him. Now, it wasn’t that I felt overwhelmed; it was that I could see that this was someone who has very much on the ball, sharp.

What also had an effect was that he had a very firm handshake. The conversation started off with us speaking about nutrition, and this was in part due the fact that the restaurant didn’t have any alternatives to milk.

Completely Engaged

After this we spoke about a number of other things, I could see that this was someone who could actually listen. When I spoke he was completely present and he would often touch upon of some of the things that I spoke about.

I felt heard and as though Colin actually cared about what I had to say. There was the effect that this had one me whilst we were in each other’s company, and then there was the effect that it had once we had parted company.

Final Thoughts

Our time together had a positive effect on my wellbeing, and this was something that carried over into the next day. This experience made me think about how rare it is to meet someone who truly listens.
If you would like to find out more about Colin, please go to www.dexteritysolutions.co.uk.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk