Workplace stress can affect your productivity, health, and well-being. One way to cope with it is to practice active listening, a skill that can help you communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and build trust with your colleagues and managers. In this article, you will learn how to use active listening to address workplace stress in six steps.
The first step is to identify what is causing you stress at work. Is it a heavy workload, a tight deadline, a difficult client, a conflict with a coworker, or a change in your role or responsibilities? Once you know the source of stress, you can decide how to deal with it. You can either change the situation, change your attitude, or seek support from others.
Identificar a fonte do estresse é um primeiro passo a se seguir. Porém entender qual o gatilho dispara essa carga emocional e como ela é alimentada. Podem ser fatores profissional ou até mesmo pessoais. Como uma dívida, uma preocupa??o familiar e ou uma momento de grande euforia como a proximidade de um casamento.
Active listening is very important in counseling/psychotherapy or any other psychological support. In workplace stress, active listening helps because the victim/clients first of all need some who is ready to listen her/him without judgement, with empathy and positive reflections.
The second step is to listen attentively to yourself and others. Listening to yourself means being aware of your emotions, thoughts, and needs. You can use techniques such as journaling, meditation, or breathing exercises to calm your mind and body. Listening to others means paying attention to what they say, how they say it, and what they mean. You can use techniques such as paraphrasing, reflecting, summarizing, or asking open-ended questions to show your interest and understanding.
If they're talking, let them finish. Your moment will come. Active listening is the cornerstone of any meaningful conversation.
The third step is to empathize with different perspectives. Empathy means putting yourself in someone else's shoes and trying to understand their feelings, motivations, and goals. You can use techniques such as acknowledging, validating, or expressing appreciation to show your empathy and respect. Empathy can help you build rapport, reduce tension, and find common ground with your colleagues and managers.
As Harper Lee wrote in To Kill a Mockingbird, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view."
The fourth step is to clarify expectations and goals. Clarifying expectations and goals means making sure that you and others have a clear and shared understanding of what needs to be done, how it will be done, and why it is important. You can use techniques such as confirming, repeating, or checking for understanding to avoid misunderstandings and confusion. Clarifying expectations and goals can help you prioritize, plan, and execute your tasks effectively.
The fifth step is to collaborate on solutions and actions. Collaborating on solutions and actions means working together with others to find the best ways to address the issues that are causing you stress. You can use techniques such as brainstorming, negotiating, or compromising to generate ideas, evaluate options, and reach agreements. Collaborating on solutions and actions can help you achieve your objectives, share responsibilities, and support each other.
The sixth step is to follow up and give feedback. Following up and giving feedback means checking in with yourself and others to see how things are going, what progress has been made, and what challenges remain. You can use techniques such as reviewing, evaluating, or praising to monitor performance, measure results, and recognize achievements. Following up and giving feedback can help you improve your skills, celebrate your successes, and learn from your mistakes.
Remember, communication is a two-way street. If you’re too engrossed in what you want to say, you might miss the essence of what's being conveyed to you.