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Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson once said, “Great listeners are often terrific at uncovering and putting in place strategies and plans that have a big impact.\u201d He\u2019s not the only one who believes in the difference listening can make. Continued research reveals that listening shows your employees that you care about them as people and valuable assets are empathetic, and value their perspectives. Over time, this leads to relationships that are transparent and breed loyalty and inspires professional development and overall performance.<\/span><\/p>\n The ability to listen effectively is an essential component of leadership, but few among us know what it takes to become a better listener.<\/span><\/p>\n In an article in Harvard Business Review, Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman argue that many of us think that we\u2019re good listeners, but actually, we are far from it. Zenger and Folkman write <\/span>that management advisers often encourage their clients to believe that effective listening simply means \u201cto remain quiet, nod and \u2018mm-hmm\u2019 encouragingly, and then repeat back to the talker something like, \u2018So, let me make sure I understand. What you\u2019re saying is\u2026 \u2018,\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Recent research suggests that these behaviors fall far short of describing good listening skills. So what comprises good listeners?<\/span><\/p>\n Zenger and Folkman write, \u201cGood listeners are like trampolines. They are someone you can bounce ideas off of \u2014 and rather than absorbing your ideas and energy, they amplify, <\/span>energise, and clarify your thinking. They make you feel better not merely passively absorbing, but by actively supporting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n So how can you be a good and active listener? According to the Centre for Creative Leadership, a global leadership development <\/span>organisation, active listening involves \u201cpaying attention, withholding judgment, reflecting, clarifying, summarizing and sharing\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Here’s how you can improve your listening skills to connect more effectively with employees and customers, and grow into a better leader.<\/span><\/p>\n Widen the scope of the conversation <\/strong><\/span> Recognise changes in tone & body language<\/strong><\/span> Try:<\/strong> Observe baseline behavior. Is the person\u2019s face, voice or body language tensing? Try:<\/strong> Check your assumptions out loud by asking, \u201cDo you mean \u2026\u201d or \u201cAre you’re thinking that \u2026\u201d and let the person confirm\/ correct.<\/span><\/p>\n Invite the speaker to fill in the blank<\/strong>s<\/span> Suspend judgment and don\u2019t interrupt<\/strong><\/span> Try:<\/strong> Stay in the moment, be focused on what the person is saying and be respectful of his\/her feelings. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson once said, “Great listeners are often terrific at uncovering and putting in place strategies and plans that have a big impact.\u201d Branson swears by the power of listening, stating that to \u201cbe a great leader, and to be successful, one must be a good listener.\u201d The Virgin Group founder, in an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8210","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-motivation-thought-leadership"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8210"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20862,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8210\/revisions\/20862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nBranson swears by the power of listening, stating that to \u201cbe a great leader, and to be successful, one must be a good listener.\u201d The Virgin Group founder, in an interview, has said that a good place to begin if you want to stand out as a leader is by listening.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nCEO confidante and advisor <\/span>Dr Mark Goulston, in his book Just, Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone, suggests using conversation deepeners. \u201cSay more about (whatever point the other person appears to be emphasizing),\u201d he says. He also advises asking hypothetical questions that ensure the conversation does not end up in negativity and excuse making.
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\nTry:<\/strong> \u201cI understand, but what might we do that could make it possible?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nListening goes well beyond being quiet, giving someone your full attention or listening with one ear. A good listener keeps an eye on body language, mood, facial expressions and natural behavioral tendencies. Cues that will alert a good listener include changes in a person\u2019s vocal pitch or crossing of arms. <\/span><\/p>\n
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\nTry not to make any assumptions<\/strong><\/span>
\nIf you think you know what’s going on in someone’s head and what they are going to tell you, you will also listen to what you want to hear. Psychology researcher John Stewart, author of U&Me: Communicating in Moments That Matter, says: \u201cI don’t think it’s possible to not make any assumptions\u2014it’s just in everybody’s hardwiring.\u201d Cultivating a sense of genuine interest in the other person will create the right environment to listen. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nAsking questions tends to put the person who\u2019s speaking in a spot; most of the times, s\/he will just clam up. <\/span>So ensure that your part of the conversation is collaborative and invites responses. A poser like, \u201cFrom your point of view, what positive thing must I do consistently and what negative thing should I stop doing completely to ensure that you don\u2019t feel this way again?\u201d is sure to lead to an in-depth conversation.
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\nTry:<\/strong> Instead of saying, \u201cDo you need my help in working towards your KRAs?\u201d say, \u201cYour KRAs are so-and-so\u2026I could do this\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nPhilip Tirpak, an instructor of communication studies at Northern Virginia Community College and president of the International Listening Association, which supports research and teaching on effective listening, says it\u2019s vital to suspend your judgment. \u201cTry really hard to let the other person talk\u2026Take in the entire message, no interruptions allowed. Just listen,\u201d he says. <\/span><\/p>\n