The Power of Listening
Have you ever been frustrated by someone who doesn’t listen? Listening is a wonderful gift. It doesn’t cost anything to listen better–just a little time and your attention. Being heard makes employees feel motivated, involved, and successful.
Listening at Work
However, effective listening is too often lacking in business. In this post, Dr. David Rowan, Vice President of Organizational Consulting at Psychological Associates, shares 3 simple, actionable tips for effective listening. Learn to employ these and you will make your coworkers more motivated, energized, and productive.
How To Improve Listening
Studies show that the average person only listens with 25% efficiency. In addition, effective leaders listen 40% better than ineffective leaders.
If you’re a graduate of our Leadership Through People Skills workshop, then you’re familiar with the Five-Step Format. But when is the last time you really committed to an impactful Step 2? (As you’ll recall, this is the listening step. You solicit the other person’s thoughts using probes appropriate to the situation.) David is here to help you recommit to that essential part of every successful interaction with tips for effective listening.
Effective Listening Tips
Hi, I am David Rowan, a psychologist and consultant at Psychological Associates. This is your Q4 minute. It’s January, which has a lot of people thinking about New Year’s resolutions. So how about a resolution to be a great listener?
Remember the five-step format? In step two, as you’ll recall, you focus on listening. Gathering the other person’s perspectives and ideas, so that people understand where they are coming from. For a great step two, remember to use your probes.
1. Start with an Open-Ended Question
First, start with an open-ended question, like, ‘what are your thoughts on this issue?’
2. Next use a Follow-on Question
Secondly, continue with a follow-on question like, “Tell me more”, or “help me understand everything you are thinking about”.
3. Use a Summary Statement to Confirm Understanding
Thirdly, use a summary statement. Summarize what the other person said to make sure you are aligned and have a common view on the issues.
In conclusion, to be a great listener, do a great step two and use all your probes. Thanks for your attention to our tips for more effective listening.
Ready for More Tips for Effective Listening?
Effective listening is a core skill we weave throughout our teaching.
We offer quite a few tips on how to handle challenging leadership situations.
If you haven’t read our Leadership Through People Skills book, or attended our Q4 Leadership Workshop, please check them out.
And finally, we invite you to sign up for more leadership tips from our experts.