A course on listening skills and the practical application of the PABCO method to draw out what others really think was held at Kansai University’s Umeda Campus, with former NHK caster Rina Kamamoto (釜本 莉奈) serving as the lecturer.
In the first half, the course explored the difference between explicit needs that people are aware of and latent needs that they are not. It also introduced ways to use the PABCO method, which structures a discussion in the order of features, advantages and benefits. The lecturer explained the importance of making proposals suited to each person’s circumstances and values, as well as a framework for making conversations more persuasive.
The middle section divided the approach to “listening” into three types: Hear, Listen and Inquire. Participants learned the importance of accepting what the other person says and exploring it in greater depth, along with a parrot-back technique that involves briefly summarising the other person’s comments and repeating them back. Emphasis was placed on creating an atmosphere that gives people a sense of being heard and encourages them to share what they really think.
In the second half, participants paired up and interviewed one another about everyday concerns and usage situations involving an item they personally liked. They then rebuilt their proposals using the PABCO method to match the needs they had identified, and carried out a practical exercise in which they shared changes in their interest levels before and after the proposals.
In participant feedback, many said that the survey prompted them to reflect on how they listen and motivated them to put the practical techniques to immediate use. The course gave participants a sense that they had acquired the “etiquette for being chosen.”