Hi guys, I came across these information and I figured I should share with my fellow entrepreneurs. It’s all about Listening. It’s actually about Active listening which is not only listening for meaning and understanding, but also listening to let the other person know that they have been listened to, heard, and understood.
Listening is a very difficult skill to master. It is mainly due to 3 factors. The first, if you are in a committee of people, paying attention to everything is difficult. The second, because of how your brain is wired, you will have to pay attention all the time and it is exhausting. The third and last is out of your control and it is external noise factors.
So how to you become a master at listening? Keep reading.
What are the 10 Habits of the Highly Effective Listeners
1. Highly effective listeners work at listening.
2. Highly effective listeners look for a common area of interest in the speaker’s message.
3. Highly effective listeners maintain an open mind.
4. Highly effective listeners avoid distractions.
5. Highly effective listeners ask for feedback.
6. Highly effective listeners can separate content from delivery.
7. Highly effective listeners comprehend nonverbal communication.
8. Highly effective listeners use active listening to help them make decisions.
9. Highly effective listeners always have a goal in mind when they are listening.
10. Highly effective listeners realize that sometimes they have to admit that they are unable to listen at a particular time.
The Active Listening Skills
Listening Non-Verbally
Listening is not only about words.
- Vocally
- Tone
- Rate
- Volume - Visually
- Facial Expressions/Eye Contact
Your facial expressions need to be consistent (congruent) with the feelings you are expressing. Eye contact should be direct, relaxed, and steady, not staring.
- Proximity
The physical distance or space between two people has a large impact on how successful the listening experience will be. If you are too far away, the listener will get the impression that you are not interested and really do not want to be involved in the listening situation. If you are too close you have “invaded” someone’s space and as soon as you do, the listening stops.
- Body Language
Active listeners face the person, lean slightly toward that person, hold their heads up, have relaxed arms and hands, and use natural but energetic and purposeful movements.
The Four Types of Feedback
While listening, stay focused on the feedback you are giving and look at what your prospect body language is as well. There are 4 types of feedback.
- Negative Feedback
- “If we do it this way it will never work.”
- “I know you are trying hard, but you just do not seem to get it.”
- “Those designs are not what the client is looking for.
- “You just do not care about your work.” - Silent or No Feedback
Often managers forget to give feedback because they think their team members already know when they are doing well or not. A lot of team members really do not know unless their managers tell them. You do not want to be in Erasure Mode. - Constructive Feedback (coaching)
When a team member is not performing as needed, it is your responsibility to give them feedback and help them develop an action plan to improve their performance. - Positive Feedback
Positive feedback is letting team members know what they are doing right and how it positively influences the work environment. Providing positive feedback correctly is very valuable because it can increase confidence and improve performance. While it is best given face to face, if necessary, it may also be given by phone, or e-mail. The important thing is to give positive feedback sincerely, timely, and often: “Catch people doing things right.”
As you can see, listening is more than only hearing what people are saying. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Listening is actually more than a skill, I would consider it as an Art! Check out tomorrow’s post about some tips on how to actually give constructive feeback to your prospects or your team members. Become a leader!
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