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Effective and Successful Listening
By: Natalie R. Manor, CEO
Let’s revisit the basics of success based
communication…the act of listening.
Every now and then, don’t you think it is
a good idea to see how effective we are at using our basic communication
skills? I do.
Listening is the basis of clear and effective communication.
True listening also provides those being “listened to”
with the sense of being valued. In hundreds of team trainings I
have facilitated, one of the most valuable outcomes is that the
teammates feel listened to. Listening allows the development of
trust and respect among the participants. Additionally, the leader
in all of us revisits the importance of listening in order to establish
effective results producing outcomes for our projects and organizations.
The act of listening is not the absence of talking.
Listening happens with attention, body language and verbal clues
to let the speaker know you are present to the interaction. Because
someone is not talking, does not mean they are listening at all.
You can tell from people’s body language whether they are
listening just by how they are sitting, their eye contact and/or
whether they are being present to what is being said. Attending
a budget meeting for more than an hour will give you classic examples
of how the body language looks when people are not listening.
In situations where you deal with the same individuals
all the time, you need to be vigilant that you stay present when
they are communicating with you. Sometimes we tend to continue to
work on our computers, write notes or complete other tasks while
people are speaking. Many people call this multitasking. It really
is just rude. You cannot fully be engaged in listening while you
are doing something else. The human brain cannot do two things at
once. It might seem that we can, but that is just the speed of the
brain moving from one activity to another giving us the perception
that we are doing two things at once.
Listening well is a profound skill. It will always
serve you well. Listening to someone is a gift. I remember well
hearing my teenage daughter telling someone that the reason I was
so “cool” is that I listened. Imagine, listening even
works with teenagers.
Here is my gift to you. The “Top
Ten Tips for Effective Listening” that I developed
from working with highly successful leaders just like you. You might
want to send these tips to others or post them on your office bulletin
board. However you use them, do read them and see where you can
improve your listening skills.
All highly effective communicators are good listeners
and they are well respected for listening. They are trusted for
caring enough to listen.
Are you a good listener? Would you like to know
where you stand with your listening skills today? Take a few minutes
to complete the NMA
Listening Test. It is free and will give a baseline
for your current listening skills.
© 2001-2009 Natalie Manor & Associates.
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Top Confidence Coach, Natalie Manor publishes the [Confidence Roadmap]
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influence and success, get your FREE tips now at
http://www.NatalieManor.com
WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE? See Natalie’s articles
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http://www.NatalieManor.com/articles/ and
http://www.NatalieManor.com/newsletter.
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