ACTIVE LISTENING: A LEADER’S SKILL

“An appreciative listener is always stimulating.” – Agatha Christie.?

?

Active?listening?is?an?essential?leadership?skill?that?entails?responding?thoughtfully?and?paying?close?attention?to?the?actions?and?words?of?others. While doing so, the?listener?is?encouraged?to?interpret?not?only?the?content?of?the?spoken?word,? but?also?the?emotions?and?body?language?that?are?present. Direct attention to the speaker during meetings, to show understanding and respect, promoting effective teamwork and open communication, go a long way in enhancing team efficiency and churning out creative solutions.

Active Listening – what are the gains at workplace?

Shows team members value and appreciation.

? Facilitates full understanding of shared information.

? Encourages meaningful contributions to conversations.

? Establishes open communication and camaraderie.

?

Three Active Listening Techniques

According to Psychologists Carl Rogers and Richard Farson, the three Active Listening Techniques, that are imperative are:

? Gathering total meaning: Listening to both the content and the underlying attitude.

? Responding to feelings: Responding appropriately to the speaker's feelings after listening to establish empathy.

? Noting all cues: Nonverbal cues like tone of voice, facial expressions, and speech speed can convey deeper meanings.

?Ways to enhance listening skills at work

Pay attention

Focusing?on?the?speaker?without?interjecting?or?passing?judgment?is?known?as?active?listening. Among?the?advice?is?focusing?entirely,?acknowledging?the?message,?observing?nonverbal?clues,?asking?questions,?refraining?from?passing?judgment,?and?offering?feedback.

By?keeping?up?a?constructive?dialogue?and?one can gain?a?deeper?understanding?of?the?speaker's?viewpoint, thereby, guaranteeing?a?civil?and?fruitful?discussion

?Avoid interrupting

Interrupting?someone?is?unpleasant?and?nearly?always?has?a?negative?impact?on?the?conversation,?even?if?you?believe?you?are?doing?so?to?ask?a?pertinent?question,?provide?a?solution?to?an?issue,?or?demonstrate?your?understanding. By?interrupting,?you?are?expressing?your?disinterest?in?what?the?other?person?is?saying.

Paraphrase & Summarize

Two?strategies?that?can?help?you?improve?your?active?listening?abilities?and?get?past?the?obstacles?listed?above?are?paraphrasing?and?summarizing. Restating?what?the?speaker?stated?in?your?own?words?is?known?as?paraphrasing,?but?succinctly?and?clearly?encapsulating?the?speaker's?major?concepts?is?known?as?summarizing.

?Eye contact

Eye contact is crucial for listening, avoiding distraction, and providing additional information about someone's feelings about their words.

There is in fact a 50/70 rule of eye contact, which says, make?eye?contact?50%?of?the?time?when?speaking?and?70%?of?the?time?when?listening?by?following?the?50/70?rule. Maintain?eye?contact?every?four?to?five?seconds: For?approximately?four?to?five?seconds,?or?as?long?as?it?takes?to?determine?the?color?of?their?eyes,?maintain?eye?contact?with?the?interviewer.

?Show interest

Maintain an open and interested posture while smiling, and using facial expressions. Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments.

?Seek clarifications

Active listening involves asking clarifying questions to improve communication skills. To clarify, be specific, ask open-ended questions, avoid judgmental statements, and use verbal affirmations to continue the conversation without interrupting. Be specific about what you didn't understand, encourage the speaker to elaborate, avoid judgmental statements, and use short affirmations to maintain focus.

?Positive body language

Engage with others by maintaining good eye contact, head nod, firm handshake, open palms, upright posture, and leaning in while speaking and listening.

?Be non-judgmental

Understanding?someone?without?passing?judgment?or?offering?criticism?is?known?as?non-judgmental?listening. Open-mindedness,?respect,?attentiveness,?empathy,?asking?open-ended?inquiries,?acceptance,?evaluating?one's?mental?condition,?and?patience?in?the?analysis?and?response?are?some?tips. It's?critical?to?put?presumptions?aside,?refrain?from?interrupting,?and?pay?close?attention?to?the?speaker's?emotions.

?Empathy

Empathic listening involves attentively listening to someone else's thoughts and feelings, demonstrating understanding of their viewpoint. It enhances empathy and fosters stronger bonds. To develop this skill, pay close attention, be receptive, modest, patient, reliable, and mirror and sense the other person's feelings and intentions.

?Key phrases

Repeating key phrases in a conversation can demonstrate attentiveness and understanding. Repeating a speaker's words, paraphrasing content, and adopting a listening stance can help capture and convey the message accurately.

?Hurdles to overcome

?

?Miscommunication in the office can be caused by physical, environmental, psychological, emotional, or cultural obstacles. Therefore, identifying obstacles to effective communication in your office is the first step towards creating a productive and efficient workplace.

?How does one overcome barrier?

Enhancing team listening skills can be achieved through minor workspace modifications or office communication style changes, addressing communication issues rooted in a lack of listening skills.

?Conclusion

As Richard Branson has said, “being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader; you have to listen to the people who are on the front line.”

A good leader listens to build trust, respect, and create a safe environment for team members. It fosters engagement, innovation, understanding of needs, and adaptability. Active listening allows for thoughtful questioning, demonstrating value in gathering insights. Being present and spending more time listening can make team members feel appreciated and understood and hence build a robust team and a productive workforce.

?

By Aparna Menon

For ? Metasearch Recruitment Services, 2024

?

?

?

?