You can observe a lot by watching
– Yogi Berra
You can learn so much by observing your surroundings, whether it is work or personal, a colleague, a boss, or a rival, as well as the simple interaction and conversations that take place around you every single day.
Some of these observations may provide life lessons, answer questions, or even be an entertaining experience.
Observation is beyond what you look at, but seeing a bit finer details within a bigger picture: you’re looking, you’re hearing, you’re listening to what is said, how it is said, the facial expressions, the interaction, and can get a lot more details than just the words that transpired.
- Is the person answering the same question differently to different people?
- Does the eye contact change or is non-existent to a certain person or a certain question?
- Do the facial expressions change based on the topic, the individuals, or something else?
- Does the tone give away anything?
- Is the response short, practiced, or improvised?
Simply look with interest and curiosity to see more than the words exchanged to get more of the story, and the scenery, and whether you can build yourself a much more detailed picture that gives more insight.
Observation takes practice, looking and watching around you, becoming a professional question-asker, and seeing more colors, details, and depth to everything around you.
And you can absolutely have fun with it.