What was voted the most annoying workplace habit? People interrupting you when you are speaking!* We all know who they are. We know how annoying it is when it happens to us so imagine how annoying it is when it happens to your customers and colleagues. Don’t let your co-workers carry on this terrible habit!
*According to the poll taken in our office. 😊
In this article we will exploring the importance of active listening skills. Active listening is a very powerful communication method. It can assist in understanding others and brings people closer to each other. To be an expert listener, it will take time and patience, but its benefits are priceless.
What is active listening and why is it importance to both the workplace and our personal relationships?
Active listening is the ability to focus completely on a speaker, understand their message, comprehend the information, and respond thoughtfully. Many of us hear what we expect, and respond, rather that actively understanding what the speaker is trying to convey.
If you want to improve your communication abilities, then you this is a great place to start. Active Listening is a skill that requires that the listener fully concentrate, understand, respond, and then remember what is being said.
Active listening involves more than just hearing someone speak. Many of us don’t listen to other people. Instead, we just think and wait for our turn to express our own opinion.
Being an effective listener means not judging the other person and involves verbal and nonverbal feedback to show signs of listening.
Things like smiling, nodding your head, making eye contact, leaning in and mirroring. Active listeners also ask questions, reflecting what is said and as for clarifications to explore the topic and at the end of the conversation they summarize the conversation.
Active listening is a very powerful skill. It brings people closer, builds trust, and helps people to open up. Fine tuning your listening skill is valuable as it can benefit your personal relationships and professional career as well. Communication is an important component to our everyday lives and ability to listen can help you to understand and influence other people in your life.
You might need to convince your family or partner to change the plans about the upcoming holiday and it will be easier if you are an active listener. At work, active listening skills will help you to be a better team member and you will be able to better help clients, because you understand their needs. If you want to become an active listener then here are some of the things that you can practice to improve your skills.
Here are 7 ways to increase your active listening skills
- Stay focused, keep natural eye contact, don’t judge and be patient.
- Don’t interrupt. Many people prepare their reply while the other person speaks, but as active listener you have to engage in listening
- Show interest. You can do that by asking questions to clarify what is said. Ask open-ended questions to encourage the speaker
- Allow for periods of silence. Wait till the other person speaks again.
- From time to time repeat the other person words or paraphrase it back to them. It will reassure that you really listen and encourage them to open up.
- Understand the emotions behind the words. When you paraphrase also try express the others feelings back to them.
- Focus in on those small utterances that show the other person that we’re following them. Like I hear you, yeah, that makes sense. Sometimes it’s not even full words. It might just be, hmm, ah. Those little utterances keep us engaged and show the other person that we’re following.
‘We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. ‘ Epictetus
It’s good practice to work towards a balance of talking and actively listening. Good listening is first and foremost a choice that you make every time somebody speaks. It takes practice. Like any skill, you have to work at it.
The good news is that listening is not mysterious or complicated.
Want to learn more?
About Facilitated Training.
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