Word about technology. No, I love technology. I'm using video cameras, lights, microphones. I love technology. I use it all the time. But sometimes technology can actually decrease your ability to listen effectively.

Two main ways it can get in your way. Number one, if you just say, Well, I don't have to listen that carefully. I'm going to hit the memo record function on my phone, I'll have it all. What happens then, is you become much more passive because you kind of let yourself off the hook. you're recording everything. And you have the ability to go back and listen and re listen to it anytime.

Here's the catch. When are you going to have time to do that? I understand there are some college students who may do that because they've sent a friend of the class they want to sleep in. They actually will listen to it before the exam. But for most people in the business world in the world place there are too many other things going on. So when you hit the record, memo, it whether you realize it or not, it's allowing you to kind of slack off.

Don't do that. There are exceptions. Of course, if you are a journalist, and you're interviewing someone on the record, and they might contend that you miss quoted them. Sure, recording is a helpful device. But that's not what most of you are doing. So I would not advocate that you arbitrarily record every meeting.

The second big thing that gets in gets in trouble these days were people typing, trying to type everything you hear. Again, I understand some students do that. But Case in point, do you see what just happened there? I didn't. I'm a hypocrite. Okay.

We're all hypocrites at some point. I'm trying to give you my undivided focus and I had not turned the speaker off on my own computer. So I just got to sound really the only thing. And because of that I got distracted. And that's a problem. So number one, I want to apologize number two, I want to make this a learning moment for you for all of us is no matter who you are.

There's technology everywhere and it can hurt us It can take us away. So when you really want to have a conversation with someone, as I'm doing now, turn your speakers all the way down to zero so you don't get the bangs the flash. That was a message telling me my Dropbox was full. I haven't used that in years. So I didn't need to hear that brown sound. When you're talking to people in person, over the phone to everything you can turn speakers down.

Now the second one The technology seems like it would help people but really doesn't, is when you're trying to type everything someone says, when you turn yourself into a stenographer, you basically are allowing your brain to just get into a mechanical mode. And you're no longer actively thinking actively processing. You're just figuring out how to type as quickly. A lot of research on this, I'll link to some below in this video lecture notes. But all the research shows that if you're typing the whole time and trying to get every word, you actually understand less and retain less than someone who's just trying to take notes. I recommend you still use a good old fashioned pen, paper or a pencil and take notes.

If you don't want to do that. That's okay. But when you're listening, do not try to capture every single word, the person saying, Don't even try to capture most of it. You've got to really listen actively for the biggest insights, the key things to take away the key things to remember. Most of the time, you need to be looking up. Even if you're really good at typing without looking, you need to be looking up and listening.

It's actually very hard to listen and type at the same time and give 100% of your attention to the person speaking so I do not recommend that you type and try to record everything word for word. It seems like it would help. It really doesn't