Are you listening?
When life and time permits, I often reflect what I did right/wrong. Often I am left pondering, if the work place communication, I was part of; went the way, it should have.
Having self-taught my 'office persona’ to be patient at the workplace, I always had an ear for my team!
Over the years, perhaps both at the workplace and the home, I've found myself to be less willing to listen.
What is wrong with my audio sense? Have I become a ‘Mr. Know All’? Do I’ve the solutions, to all the problems that exist out there? Do I know enough about any particular subject, which concerns me?
I figured, the toll of listening to the same inane propositions years in year out, devoid of in depth analysis had taken its toll! My strength of being ‘emotionally sensitive’ to others, also had me suffer from ‘Listening to’; the half-truths and plain lies. In an increasingly opinionated world, everyone seemed to have an answer to everything! It was time again, for ‘Listening: 101’.
Most of us equate the ‘hearing faculty’, to that as listening.
How is listening, differ from hearing?
Human conversation exists on both conscious and subconscious plains. Very often, we find ourselves either interjecting our colleagues, friends, relatives - mid sentence. The same happens to us!
Many a time, we are already answering a question, before it is completed. Our opinions (particularly those, that shaped our years or those shaped by strong belief systems) frequently effects, what we listen to.
Usually we also tend to ignore the non-verbal cues, which accompany the vocalization of a subject matter. No wonder the proverbial ‘communication gap’, remains one of the biggest stumbling block; in the road of workplace/conjugal/parental, success!
‘Listening from Emotions’ and ‘Listening to Emotions’
Usually we are guilty of being influenced by our emotional self (which is self serving) and not open to the emotions of others; while in communication.
I came across an article on the subject recently, which is shared below.
How Listening Can Improve Workplace Performance - Lisa Mooney
Listening is an active process that involves focusing on what is said without allowing other thoughts to invade the process. Small business owners and entrepreneurs who employ serious listening skills and foster this ability from their employees will be the most likely to keep their companies growing.
Concentrate on listening at work and you should see benefits such as increased productivity, faster progress toward goals and more congenial relationships between employees.
Reduce Misunderstandings
Inc. Magazine warns employers that when they have poor listening skills themselves they will jeopardize their working relationship with employees. Workers know when they are not really being heard and this decreases their sense of worth in your establishment, builds resentment and motivates them to look for other opportunities.
Work on your listening skills by training yourself to focus completely on what is being said. Take the employee to a quiet spot where you and she are less likely to be distracted or interrupted. This helps aid your listening ability and shows the employee you are interested in what she has to tell you.
Illustrating Caring Attitude
Listening illustrates your caring attitude as a boss in the company. Employees respond positively to an open-door policy in which they know you will listen intently and do your best to resolve issues. The level of trust rises between yourself and your workers and performance problems decrease. Encourage your staff to listen to one another as well in other to foster employee relationships. This is another instance of showing your concern for employee well-being.
Faster Work Rate
When you and your employees listen to each other regarding how to best accomplish tasks, the work proceeds at a faster rate. Taking this step helps help improve clarity and maintain focus during the task at hand. To help her staff understand the important of good listening, you could provide examples in which active listening either helped or hindered a project.
Less "Do-Overs"
Good listeners learn from what is being said so they are able to use the information at work without making mistakes. When someone does not listen well, however, comprehension is reduced and the production process is likely to slow.
According to the Spring Institute for International Studies, employers should first illustrate the relevance of what they are going to say to the employee before it is said to increase his motivation. For example, explain first that he will be expected to use a new machine that day following your verbal instructions. This heads-up will help guarantee his undivided attention while you speak.