To be a Good listener...

So we need to talk to people a lot .. that involves good communication skills.. but is good communication all about talking ?

Not its not, its also about understanding, listening and talking altogether.. if you keep on talking and be an impatient listener there is something serious that is lacking in your communication skils..

So being a good listener is an integral part of one's persona as a BA.. just like i mentioned communication is important.. If we talk about the main ingredients of one's communication skills, Askking the right questions & Being a good listener would actually be equally important.

Well not only for a BA but in general life too one needs to be a good listener,
Going by experience, i had a friend's friend visit us, he was deeply involved in a conversation with us and all of a sudden his phone rang and leave apart the fact that he did answer the call,he didnt even bother to excuse himself from the conversation or anything, simply answered the phone and kept talking loudly for atleast another 5 minutes.. Trust me there cant be anything more annoying then this..

After that i didnt even wish to start a conversation with that dude.. i wish he would read this blog some day and gain atleast some listening skills or of the least some social etiquettes...

Here is a blog which would explains a few ways to be a better litener http://tynerblain.com/blog/2006/01/27/top-five-ways-to-be-a-better-listener/

so Coming back to our specilzation, For a BA it is definatelty essantial to ask the right questions and conduct the interview to get the best possible outcome
http://tynerblain.com/blog/2006/01/15/how-to-interview-when-gathering-requirements/
The above link also by the same author is really helpful again..

BA A.K.A Waiter.... ?????

So discussing BA's roles & responsibilties with some one who has been a BA himself and is into training potential Business Analysts these days, some thing came up which was'nt totally digestable , so its related to food if you cant digest it, right..??
yeah you bet..
Yeah so as a waiter co-ordinates between the customer and cook passing on the requirement of the customer to the cook in whatever requirement gathering format (usually a pen and a pad)..similary the BA does the co-ordination effort passing on the exact information regarding the requirements of the customer to the the client and developers / coders/ testers etc..

Right.. Nothing wrong with that example..but why it made me write it in the blog was coz of my personal experience when i was going to school... . i worked in an indian restraunt in Redmond,WA for a few days.. before i realised it wasnt my cup of tea and i was made for more delicate jobs rather then 12 hour long hardships...

Ironically (??) life has almost come a full circle from a waiter to a Business Analyst... i Never thought about it alright but well... way to go perhaps...
Just that this example made me smile and recall those moments.. Yeah..

"Are you ready for the order yet"
"Would you like some thing to drink"
"Shall i get you a ToGo box? "
"Here is your cheque sir"

Right... didnt i learn all those terminology and more by heart... yeah am a diligent worker.. weather a BA or a Waiter, after all job is job and one has to keep performing and improving the skills...