Listen Twice, Build Once

I’ve heard it said, “when all is said and done, sometimes more is said than done!” My other favorite saying was one my mom would say: “There’s a reason you have two ears, but one mouth.” Listening is key to everything we do. And to be clear, there is a big difference between hearing and listening. The latter is all about comprehension.

One of the things we at Denny Civic Solutions do with every potential client is listen first, and then listen again. We go by the adage of “listen twice, build once.” What does this mean in practice? Why do we do it? And how does it help?

With every potential client, before putting forth any kind of proposal, we first spend hours with them asking them to tell us their story, their hopes and dreams, their challenges and opportunities, and anything else they want to share with us. We do really intense listening and note taking. We ask a lot of questions, and again listen. Before we even consider proceeding with the developing a proposal, we first develop what we call a “What We Heard” document. Its primary purpose is to review our notes with the potential client to make sure we “heard right” and captured everything important.

Why do we do it? Two primary reasons:

• It helps our team learn. Each client teaches us something new about an issue, a problem, or an opportunity.

• If we don’t start from the same page, then we’ll be out of sync before we even begin working together. It’s that simple.

How does it help? When DCS puts together a proposal or plan, there is no “cutting and pasting.” Each effort is unique. Our process helps in developing and implementing the plan as a resource to refer to along the way. And it lets the client know that we really care and value what they have to say.

If you want to be heard, we are ready to listen.