How can you become a better listener in IT Strategy?

1 Why listen well

Listening well can help you build trust, rapport, and credibility with your clients and stakeholders, as well as improve your collaboration and teamwork with your peers and subordinates. By listening well, you can also gain valuable insights, identify problems and opportunities, and deliver better solutions that align with the expectations and requirements of your audience.

2 How to prepare

Before you engage in any listening activity, such as a meeting, a presentation, or a consultation, you need to prepare yourself mentally and physically. This means setting a clear purpose and goal for the listening session, doing some background research on the topic and the speaker, and finding a comfortable and distraction-free environment. You also need to be aware of your own biases, assumptions, and emotions, and try to avoid them from interfering with your listening.

3 How to listen actively

Active listening is a technique that involves paying full attention to the speaker, using verbal and non-verbal cues to show interest and engagement, and paraphrasing and summarizing what you hear to check for understanding and accuracy. Active listening can help you avoid misunderstandings, clarify doubts, and confirm expectations. To listen actively, you need to use open-ended questions, such as "What do you mean by...?" or "How do you feel about...?", to elicit more information and encourage dialogue. You also need to use positive body language, such as eye contact, nodding, and smiling, to convey respect and empathy.

4 How to listen critically

Critical listening is a technique that involves evaluating and analyzing what you hear, using logic, evidence, and reasoning. Critical listening can help you identify gaps, inconsistencies, and flaws in the speaker's arguments, as well as assess the validity and reliability of their sources and data. To listen critically, you need to use closed-ended questions, such as "Do you have any proof of...?" or "How did you measure...?", to challenge and verify the speaker's claims. You also need to use critical thinking skills, such as comparing, contrasting, and synthesizing, to draw your own conclusions and recommendations.

5 How to listen creatively

Creative listening is a technique that involves using your imagination and intuition to generate new ideas and solutions based on what you hear. Creative listening can help you discover new possibilities, opportunities, and perspectives that can enhance your IT strategy. To listen creatively, you need to use divergent questions, such as "What if...?" or "How might we...?", to stimulate brainstorming and innovation. You also need to use creative thinking skills, such as associating, combining, and transforming, to create original and novel concepts and proposals.

6 How to listen empathetically

Empathetic listening is a technique that involves understanding and sharing the feelings and emotions of the speaker, as well as acknowledging and validating their concerns and needs. Empathetic listening can help you build rapport, trust, and loyalty with your clients and stakeholders, as well as motivate and inspire your team members and subordinates. To listen empathetically, you need to use reflective questions, such as "How do you feel about...?" or "What are you worried about...?", to express empathy and compassion. You also need to use emotional intelligence skills, such as self-awareness, self-regulation, and social awareness, to manage your own and others' emotions effectively.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?