Listening
“You can hear a lot by listening.” – Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame baseball player
“The most basic human need is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” –Ralph Nichols, author
The pace of work in America is faster than ever and there’s an endless contest for people’s attention. In an environment full of deadlines, cell phones, e-mails and other distractions, focusing long enough to listen to another human being can be a challenge.
But being a good listener not only helps boost morale, but also helps you learn more about what motivates your staff and how you can get the best work from them.
Good listening is all about active listening. Active listening prevents miscommunication, improves customer service and increases your effectiveness as a leader. To be an active listener, you must demonstrate to the speaker that you are fully focused on what they have to say. You accomplish that through your body language, by paying close attention and by asking questions to affirm your understanding. Active listening is especially effective in situations where the person is angry or has something to say they feel is very important.
Active listening tips:
- Be aware of your body language.
Looking away, poor posture, drumming fingers, rolling eyes, tapping
feet can break the connection between you and the speaker. Use
positive gestures to visibly show that you acknowledge what the other
person is saying. Eye contact, leaning forward, nods of the head, and
responses like, ”I understand,” show interest.
- Pay close attention. Avoid external distractions and shut out background noise and activity. Look directly at the person speaking. Be silent and don’t prejudge. Instead of thinking about your response and your own personal views, focus on what’s being said and keep an open mind. Watch for hidden messages. Be attentive to the feelings behind the words and note any non-verbal clues.
- Clarify and ask questions. Periodically check for understanding by summarizing the key message that you heard out loud back to the employee. Clarify with questions about what you think he or she means: “Let me see if I understand. Do you mean…?” Summarize when the person is finished speaking. Taking the speaker’s point of view: “In the last few minutes you have been saying that you believe…”
Stop these irritating listening habits
- Rushing the speaking and making him or her feel like they are wasting the listener’s time
- Interrupting the speaker
- Not looking at the speaker
- Getting ahead of the speaker
- Not responding to the speaker’s requests
- Showing interest in something other than what the speaker is saying
- Saying “Yes, but….”as if the listener’s mind is made up
- Forgetting what was talked about previously
- Asking too many detail questions.
COACH is produced by
Motiv8 Communications, Port Orange, Florida 
P: 386-322-9802 E: motiv8comm@aol.com
