It feels like we are facing a technology disaster everywhere.

Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful for the ease and flow of communicating that cell phones and the internet have given us.  I am just wondering if it is numbing you and I to the beauty of life and what’s really going on in the world because we are addicted to getting and receiving messages.  Everywhere I go, people are looking down at their cell phones, not interacting with each other, even when walking down the street.

It can’t be good for business. People do business with people that they like and trust, and that means getting to know one other, face-to-face interaction. We need human contact; it helps us to feel connected and part of life; it helps us to feel belonging and give us a sense of purpose.

So, here’s my challenge.  Let me know your experience.

Give your friends, colleagues, and staff your undivided attention when you are with them. Listen to what they have to say. Put your cell phone away. Focus on them, learning, absorbing, and enjoying the conversation.

People like people who listen to them. People like people who understand them, who get them and what they’re about.  Listening is good for business, good for your personal and social life.

When your clients or customers feel seen, understood, and heard, they are more likely to stick around for the long haul.  When the people you love and care about know that they can count on you to listen and work things out together or just be fully present in the moment, having fun, that adds a new dimension to your life and theirs, and that’s priceless.