Take 5 To Improve Listening Skills

Posted by Marcel Sim under Communication Skills,
June 24, 2008

This article is contributed by Karen S. Sieczka

In the business world, it pays to listen and know how to ask the right questions. Miscommunication and misunderstanding can lead to problems… unhappy customers, lost sales, excess inventory, misunderstood instructions, shoddy work, and disgruntled employees … all influencing your company’s bottom line.

Face-to-face communication is still the foundation of many business relationships and good listening skills are an essential part of this communication. Listening skills can open doors and build working relationships. Use verbal cues, eye contact, and positive body language. Draw out information by asking open ended, non-judgmental questions. Reflect what the speaker is saying by restating and reinforcing what is said and asking for clarification if it is not clear. This reassures understanding for both parties. People feel more important when they perceive they are being heard.

A good listener can build trust, empathy, and understanding by practicing and improving listening skills. The ability to listen and actually hear what is being said is becoming rare as we spend more at our computers. Good listening makes for more open communications and prevents many problems before they start.

Here are some simple tips to improve your listening skills:

1. STOP: When someone talks to you, stop and give your full consideration. Focus. When you give your undivided attention, people feel they matter.

2. USE ACTIVE LISTENING: Show you are interested by your body language, using verbal cues, and making eye contact. Make sure your listening to talking ratio is 2:1; listen twice as much as you talk.

3. ASK OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS: Draw out information by asking open ended questions such as: “Why do you think that is?”or ” That’s interesting. Can you tell me more?” Don’t just ask yes or no questions.

4. RESTATE AND REFLECT: Reflect what the speaker is saying by restating what was just said in your own words. Ask for clarification if you are not sure. This reassures understanding for both parties.

5. PRACTICE SKILLS BEFORE PROBLEMS ARISE: The time for improving listening skills is before there are problems. By building a foundation ahead of time, communications flow more freely during times of crisis.

Karen S. Sieczka is a training consultant and founder of Growing Great Ideas.com. Her latest training program is Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing Creativity at Work. The program generates ideas, enthusiasm, and teamwork and can be customized to address particular organizational issues or challenges. She is also writing a book Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing Creativity at Work. The book will be in print in September 2008.

3 Comments

Comments

I find it amazing how poorly most people listen. It is such a simple skill that so few master. The funny thing is that by listening you become a better conversationalist. The best are usually the ones who say the least...unless it is to ask the other person a thoughtful question.

Posted by: B Smith @ Wealth and Wisdom at June 24, 2008 10:47 PM

Even in arguments I think it's important to listen. Often times people get so busy 'defending' their point of view that they will not gain/learn/achieve anything from the argument.

In general, getting defensive about what you say in any way impairs your empathy and listening skills dramatically

Posted by: Nick Grinberg at June 26, 2008 4:21 PM

A leader who has their MOJO! listens appreciatively! So many times leaders reflexively rush to solve every problem. If they would just listen, the person with the problem will usually solve it themselves. They will solve it in a way that you would never have thought of and their way will work better for them than anything you could have come up with. People are helped to think when they are listened to appreciatively.

Posted by: Dr. Lynn K. Jones at June 16, 2009 7:35 PM

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