Active Listening

One of the strongest skills we should prioritize to develop is Active Listening.?

Coaches use active listening as a powerful tool for communication and the fact is that we all can do the same as well.

There are three different levels of listening:

First level: We listen with the intention to answer

When we listen at this level, we do it based on our own perspective. We quickly come up with our own tips and advice on how to solve the other person′s situation. In this level, we seem to have all the answers, but we are missing to listen what is really going on.

Second Level: We listen with the intention to understand

We are genuinely captivated by the other person's story and want to know more. We are not the focus anymore because we are truly listening. We ask questions that make the other person reflect and engage to tell more.

Third Level: We listen with all our senses

We understand the context of the story, read the message "between lines", and feel the other person′s moods and emotions. We capture more information from the body language and tone of voice. We listen, see, feel and experience more than just the words that have been said so we ask questions based on the whole picture.

The second level of active listening is good but the third level is powerful.

Three tips on how to enhance Active Listening:

• Ask impactful but short open questions that engage the other person to tell more.
• Be patient and do not stress to interrupt even though the other person takes a pause. This is the moment we need to use our emotional and intuitive mind to let the other person reflect.
• Use your gut feeling and "read between the lines". Ask for example something you perceived: “You sound worried. Is there something that worries you?”

If the assumption is wrong, change direction. If your observation is right, then you get more relevant information to support the other person better. In any of both cases, the person will feel seen and heard.

Two questions for your reflection:

Which level of active listening do you use the most?

What insight did you get to become better at this relevant skill?

#active listening, #powerful communication, #leadership