Active Listening Strategies from the FBI to the Boardroom

What is active listening?

"It's really not that easy to listen well." - Chris Voss

Effective communication is about more than just talking - it's about truly listening and understanding the other person's perspective.

Incorporating active listening into leadership and management practices is a pivotal strategy for C-suite and senior leaders. Active listening is a skill that allows you to fully concentrate, understand, respond and then remember what's being said. It involves listening with all your senses, giving your full attention, and ensuring your mind doesn't drift off.

One key aspect of active listening is asking the right questions to further the conversation and gain deeper insights.

Drawing upon the insights of thought leaders such as Christopher Voss , a former FBI hostage negotiator and author of "Never Split the Difference," we can understand the profound impact of active listening techniques in leadership.

Two great frameworks for posing thoughtful questions come from Chris Voss's "tactical empathy," "mirroring," and "calibrated questions" techniques and ?? Michael Bungay Stanier 's question examples from "The Coaching Habit." We look at those, plus Kylee Stone - The Uncharted Leader 's words for emerging leaders to deeply understand "what is active listening?"

5 Benefits of Active Listening

Before we get into ideas to improve your active listening skills, let's explore the benefits of active listening.

1. Improved Understanding and Clarity: Active listening ensures you fully comprehend the other person's message, ideas, concerns, and needs. By asking clarifying questions and avoiding assumptions, you reduce misunderstandings and miscommunications that can lead to costly mistakes or delays.
2. Stronger Relationships and Trust: When people feel truly heard and understood, it builds trust and strengthens working relationships. Active listening demonstrates care, respect and an invested interest in the other party's perspective. This openness and good faith facilitates collaboration.
3. Better Problem Solving and Decision Making: Active listening allows all relevant information and viewpoints to surface before formulating solutions. With a comprehensive understanding of the issue, you can make more informed, well-rounded decisions that account for different angles.
4. Increased Employee Engagement and Satisfaction: Employees who feel listened to are more motivated, committed and engaged. Active listening by managers signals that employee ideas, opinions and feelings genuinely matter, boosting morale and loyalty.
5. Enhanced Customer Service and Retention: In client-facing roles, active listening enables you to develop a better understanding of your customer's needs, issues and feedback. This leads to more tailored, highest-quality service that turns customers into loyal brand advocates.

Whether communicating with colleagues, direct reports, leadership or clients, taking the time to 'actively listen' pays immense dividends for business success.

Understanding Active Listening and Its Importance

Active listening goes beyond merely hearing words; it's about fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what is being communicated.

It's a dynamic engagement involving verbal and non-verbal acknowledgment, including nods and maintaining eye contact.

Christopher Voss emphasises the power of tactical empathy, an active listening technique where you demonstrate an understanding of the speaker's feelings and needs. This form of empathy fosters trust and rapport, crucial elements in any leader's toolkit.

Active listening in leadership is invaluable. It enhances the ability to connect with team members, understand their perspectives, and address their concerns effectively.

"Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world," Voss suggests, highlighting its capacity to transform interactions and outcomes.

By actively listening, leaders can foster an environment of mutual respect and understanding, laying the groundwork for effective problem-solving and decision-making.

Calibrated Question Examples for Active Listening

Chris Voss also emphasises the power of open-ended "how" and "what" questions. These calibrated questions encourage the other person to expand on their point of view without feeling interrogated. A few examples:

• "How did you see the situation unfolding?"
• "What led you to make that decision?"
• "What's something I'm missing here?"

Using calibrated questions helps you to gently guide the conversation while making the other person feel heard and understood.

Become a Growth Faculty member (and get access to replays of our events with Chris Voss) to learn about calibrated questions and other negotiation techniques.

Active Listening Skills and Techniques

Active listening skills include paying attention, withholding judgment, reflecting, clarifying, summarising, and sharing.

As well as tactical empathy and calibrated questions, Voss champions the "Mirroring" technique, where repeating the last three words or critical phrases the speaker said demonstrates attentiveness and encourages them to continue.

This technique, along with the strategic use of silence, can lead to more meaningful exchanges and insights.

Incorporating Active Listening into Leadership

Through active listening leaders build a culture of trust and respect, laying the foundation for high-performing teams. Here's how leaders can adopt various strategies to embed active listening into their management practices to drive organisational success:

Lead by Example: Setting the Communication Standard

Leading by example is paramount. When leaders demonstrate they are listening during every interaction, they gather valuable insights and set a high standard for communication between teams. This approach demonstrates to employees that their leaders value their input and are committed to understanding their perspectives. By doing so, leaders inspire their team members to reciprocate, fostering an environment where open and effective communication flourishes.

Cultivate a Listening Culture: Valuing Every Voice

A listening culture encourages an environment where feedback is actively sought and valued. This involves creating channels for open communication and ensuring all team members feel comfortable and empowered to share their thoughts and ideas. When leaders acknowledge and act upon the feedback received, it reinforces the organisation's commitment to continuous improvement and innovation.

Training and Development: Sharpening Listening Skills

Investing in workshops and training programs specifically designed to enhance listening skills can significantly benefit leaders and their teams. These programs, particularly those that incorporate negotiation tactics and empathy-driven listening as taught by experts like Chris Voss, can equip leaders with the tools they need to navigate complex conversations and negotiations successfully. By developing these skills, leaders can better understand and address the needs and concerns of their employees, ultimately leading to more effective decision-making.

7 Questions to Facilitate Active Listening

In his bestseller "The Coaching Habit," ?? Michael Bungay Stanier outlines seven key questions that leaders and coaches should ask to facilitate productive dialogues:

1. The Kickstart Question: "What's on your mind?" This opens the conversation.
2. The AWE Question: "And what else?" This digs deeper after the initial response.
3. The Focus Question: "What's the real challenge here for you?" This zeroes in on the core issue.
4. The Foundation Question: "What do you want?" This gets at the underlying desires driving the situation.
5. The Lazy Question: "How can I help?" This allows the person to make a clear request for support.
6. The Strategic Question: "If you're saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?" This surfaces opportunity costs.
7. The Learning Question: "What's been most useful for you?" This facilitates reflection.

See also our article 5 Questions from World-Class Coaching Expert

Feedback and Reflection - Practical ways to leverage active listening

Feedback Mechanisms: Understanding and Addressing Concerns

Implementing structured feedback sessions is a practical way to leverage active listening within an organisation. These sessions provide a formalised process for employees to share their concerns, suggestions, and ideas. When leaders approach these sessions with an open mind and a commitment to understanding the issues presented, it can lead to meaningful changes that enhance employee satisfaction and organisational performance.

Reflective Sessions: Fostering a Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach

Reflective listening sessions are an excellent tool for exploring different perspectives and fostering a collaborative approach to problem-solving. Leaders can ensure they've accurately understood the speaker's point of view by reflecting on what they've heard. This process validates the employee's feelings and perspectives and encourages creative problem-solving by considering diverse viewpoints. Through reflective listening, leaders can build stronger, more cohesive teams capable of tackling complex challenges.

Listening deeply to connect

In our Emerging Leaders Program module on communication, facilitator Kylee Stone - The Uncharted Leader told participants that "effective communication is not just about what you say, the real power in storytelling is happening in the listening, how the message is being received."

She introduced participants to the powerful Dadirri concept video. The Aboriginal elder said the words:

“To know me is to breathe with me. To breathe with me is to listen deeply. To listen deeply is to connect. It’s a sound. The sound of deep calling to deep. Dadirri is the deep inner spring inside us.”

Kylee says the importance of listening cannot be overstated when becoming a great communicator. In interpersonal communications, you must include the other person in your conversation.

Kylee says that you can use the Aboriginal Dadirri practice to ask yourself:

• What is there to learn from the other person's communication?
• What conversation could you have now?
• Are there more questions to be asked?

Incorporating active listening into leadership practices requires a deliberate and consistent effort. However, the benefits—ranging from improved employee engagement and satisfaction to enhanced decision-making and problem-solving capabilities—make it a worthwhile investment for any leader aiming to drive their organisation to new heights of success.