SLANT is an acronym for:
- Sit up,
- Listen,
- Ask Questions,
- Nod, and
- Track the speaker with your eyes.
Schools use this acronym to teach basic classroom behavior to children from low-income backgrounds. Why aren’t we also requiring this behavior for every interaction at work?
In our multitasking, smartphone-obsessed offices, we adults would benefit from a SLANT policy in every office. Basic courtesies in the working world are being set aside in the interest of serving our clients. But how well are we actually serving them if our attention is so fractured that we cannot meet with a colleague for 10 minutes or attend a one-hour meeting without checking our smart phones at least three times?