How can you develop your active listening and emotional intelligence skills during Culture Change?

In navigating culture change as an NLP coach and strategic HR leader, I believe honing active listening and emotional intelligence is critical. Begin by fostering an open, inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued. Actively listen to employees' concerns and insights, utilizing NLP techniques like mirroring and paraphrasing. Apply emotional intelligence to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as empathize with others. Conduct regular feedback sessions, Embrace a growth mindset, viewing challenges as chances to refine active listening and emotional intelligence.

One thing I have found helpful is the use of empathy. Culture change can be difficult for many, but especially for people who are used to doing things the way they always have done them. Recognize that resistance is often rooted in fear of the unknown. With that in mind, we can listen to their concerns and use empathy - acknowledge concerns by paraphrasing what you hear them say, name the emotions they have communicated, and make eye contact to let them know you've heard them. It's the key to success! When people are acknowledged and feel understood, they're better able to put aside their fears and transition into thinking about what comes next.

I would add the single most important thing we all can do is to be curious. Curiosity drives most successful leaders, innovators and facilitates widening our options. Approach life and others through curious inquiry.

To enhance active listening and emotional intelligence during culture change, practice open-mindedness, empathy, and reflective listening. Ask clarifying questions, pay attention to nonverbal cues, and be culturally sensitive. Seek feedback, adapt your communication style, and develop conflict resolution skills. Stay informed and continuously learn to create an inclusive and emotionally intelligent environment.

Engage in active listening workshops to refine comprehension and response skills. Practice mindfulness to enhance awareness of emotions, fostering self-regulation. Seek feedback from colleagues and leaders to identify areas for improvement. Embrace cultural diversity training to understand different perspectives. Foster open communication channels during culture change to promote empathy. Encourage team-building activities to enhance interpersonal skills. Read literature on emotional intelligence and apply insights in real-world scenarios. Cultivate a growth mindset, viewing challenges as opportunities for skill development. Regularly reflect on interactions to identify emotional triggers and improve responses.

Adding emotional tone, speed of speech and volume appropriate to your intention/s provide another ways to amplify effects. Active listening focuses on the other and signals your full attention. Encourage elaborations.

Don′t wait to build these skills until your change initiative starts, these basic human skills are helpful in every situation. There′s one really great way of listening actively, and that′s to try to turn off all your thoughts. Don′t judge while the other person is speaking, don′t think about what you′re having for lunch. Whenever your mind wanders off, gently bring it back. Focus 100% on what the other person is saying.

The best way I have learnt to practice active listening is being patient and present. How can we actively listen when your mind is elsewhere? We can't. Is it easy? It may not be with several other distractions grabbing our attention specially during changes. However, jotting down points to summarise it later, acknowledging what's being said with verbal and non-verbal cues as well as asking questions for clarification are some effective ways of being present and in the moment to understand what's being said. Unless we don't actively listen, its easier to form assumptions based on personal biases and not understand what's happening around us. That hinders our ability to adapt to change.

What works well for me is to write down any emotions that come up during active listening. Write down where they come from and what actions you want to take in order for them to not come up in the future. Awareness is key.

Reflect on which emotions gets in your way of being your best self and channel them into other emotions that motivate you. Example when you feel angry, you can channel that feeling into determination.

For me, one thing that has worked over the years when working with others is taking some time to process. Often, its easier said than done. But, it's better to process it at your time and truly understand how something made you feel. Words or emotions once expressed can't be recalled. So, I would rather practice empathy in most cases and take sometime to reflect and then provide my opinion if necessary. Being intentional in your approach rather than letting your emotion dictate you is better.

The key to overcoming barriers is to be aware of them. Whenever you notice you have reacted in a non-constructive way or experience negative emotions, write them down. Find out what triggered you in having these emotions and try to be aware next time you have them. Once you have created awareness you can think of a strategy to react differently next time.

It’s not personal. Monitor your physical and mental reactions as cues you need to reset and recharge. Practice 1 min of any of the following: silence, gratitude practice, sending positive thoughts to someone, celebrate any positive movement.

The most practical helpful way I have found helpful is to take a minute or two at night before going to bed to reflect on my morning intention/s. A minute or two in the morning before starting the day to set my intention/s: E.g. I am going to practice x (active learning) with a colleague/student/child/spouse. Reflecting on my intention before bed: What happened with my intention/s - what are win/s and area/s I had to adjust? what did I learn?

I agree, the "Crucial Conversations" book offers valuable insights. It offers concrete tactics for navigating difficult conversations, providing a clear framework for what to say and how to say things that are difficult to express because the stake is high. Additionally, it encourages you to examine your mindset regarding crucial conversations. I've observed that when leaders redefine their intentions for such conversations, it can significantly enhance their emotional intelligence skills. It's a powerful tool for improving communication in challenging situations.