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Most managers feel they have good listening skills, but they may not be as skilled as they think. Training your managers to be good listeners can have a significant impact on your organization's success. Listening is not as simple as hearing the words someone is speaking. It is actually an acquired skill that takes practice to master. Recently while sitting in a meeting I observed cross talk, side conversations and an individual reading his email. It made we wonder whether we really listened to one another anymore?
If as leaders, we could learn to really listen to our teams and ask great questions, we could dramatically improve organizational effectiveness. According to Manny Steil, an expert in listening and CEO of Communication Development, Inc., there are four fundamental listening concepts:
- Sensing: Do you hear the words?
- Interpretation: Do you understand the words?
- Evaluation / judging: Do you accept or reject the words?
- Responding: Do you take a final action that results from the conversation?
Understanding these concepts puts people on a path to becoming better listeners. So, how do we become a more active listener? Here are some helpful tips:
- Make a commitment to become a better listener. Through our lives we take a lot of communication courses. Have you ever taken a listening course?
- Stay present! It is easy to let the mind wander and think about the multiple projects and tasks at hand. Active listening requires being in the here and now.
- Keep an open mind. Avoid listening from positions of judgment, bias or preconceived notions.
- Resist external distractions. Stay focused on the conversation.
- When appropriate take notes. Particularly with employees, it is imperative to take notes during the conversation to ensure understanding.
- Ask open-ended questions for clarification. These include what, how, when and where, or statements such as "tell me more." Avoid using "why" as it tends to put the speaker on the defensive.
- Use the communication skills of paraphrasing, summarizing, and reflecting (repeat what was said using the listener's words).
It is a fact that we listened least to the people who are most significant to us. This includes spouses, children, friends, coworkers and bosses. So becoming a better listener will not only enhance management skills and organizational effectiveness, it will also have a significant positive impact on the other relationships in our lives.
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Source by Karen D. Black
TrainLead 