It’s officially 2025, and at Good Dads, we are ready for whatever the new year has in store! 

This year on the Prime Good Dads blog, we plan on covering different personality and character traits of Prime driver fathers–and their families. This month, we’ll be focusing on the concept of being an effective communicator, both as a driver and as a father. We hope you stay tuned for more blogs in the future. 

When it comes to communication skills, many automatically think of the “talking” aspect, but listening is equally important. Why are listening skills so important? Do you tend to be more of a talker or a listener?

Father of four and Prime driver Jimmy Jackson knows a thing or two about the importance of listening skills. With 12 years of experience at Prime under his belt, he provided several insights to Good Dads about the importance of listening as well as ways to improve listening skills. 

Listen to learn

“You’re never going to understand the degree or whole situation without properly listening,” Jimmy said. “You listen to learn, not to respond or react.”

Jimmy is a part of the driver advisory board at Prime. He said that whenever he’s in a meeting, he puts a card in front of him that says “listen to learn, speak to educate.” 

One of the key aspects of listening is that you learn more the more you practice. Taking the time to listen and ensure you understand what the person is saying before saying what you want to say is a good way to ensure both parties are properly heard. 

Listening in person or over-the-phone is a more effective form of communicating than texting

For bigger, more important conversations in particular, ensuring that the person can not only hear you, but see you, is preferred. 

“You never know the severity of the situation over text,” Jimmy said. “It’s better to be on the phone, in case someone’s not having the greatest day.” 

Jimmy said it’s easy to take texts out of context and misread what someone is saying, so it’s better to speak over the phone or in person to be fully aware of what is being discussed

“To be able to sit and listen to (people) and hear their voice to listen to learn is one of the best things you can do,” he said. 

Limit distractions and pay attention to body language

Jimmy says that if he’s in person or on home time, bigger or heavier conversations tend to happen at the dining room table. 

“This is what we need to do,” he said. “Let’s sit at the table, have that eye contact, and take away the distractions.” 

For Jimmy, putting the phone down and ensuring there’s nothing in front of him to fidget with or distract him (creating a neutral environment) helps improve the ability to listen. 

“If it’s a heated discussion, make sure both parties are comfortable,” he said. “You’re in it together. Focus on them and their body language, have your arms somewhat forward and open, don’t cross your arm or be standoffish. Show that you’re welcoming them and want to hear them.”

Jimmy says that when he’s out on the road, scheduling times to talk with others while he’s parked allows him to give whoever he’s communicating with his undivided attention. 

“When you’re going down the road, you’re focused on a million other things,” he said. “If we can have eye contact or video chatting, that goes a long way. You can see the expressions and know more.” 

Fixing vs. Listening

Jimmy said that his wife will occasionally call him if she needs help or to talk about a problem she has. He said it’s important to clarify whether or not she needs him to listen to him or to fix the problem. 

“I’m a fix it guy,” he admitted, “but sometimes she just needs to vent. We’re pretty good about making sure we have that understanding. Sometimes I just want you to listen to my problem.” 

Limit interruptions or rebuttals

“Make sure they’re done speaking, and try not to interrupt,” Jimmy said. “If they pause, say that you didn’t realize they weren’t done.”

Jimmy said that his kids will work out a scenario in their head, and usually it’s a matter of letting them talk it out to figure out a solution to the problem themselves. 

He continued, saying it’s important to listen to understand. If you don’t get what the person is saying, have them repeat it. 

“Let them have their rebuttal on conversations, but let them work through it by asking the simple questions.” Jimmy said. 

Final Words

As a trainer, member of a driver advisory board, husband and father of four, Jimmy is no stranger to the importance of listening skills. He said listening to people’s concerns is important to him, ensuring people are effectively heard. 

“Listen to learn and speak to educate,” Jimmy said. “There’s no such thing as dumb questions, just dumb people who refuse to ask questions.”