Saber what active listening is and how to improve it is essential for employers who want to improve the productivity of their staff. without having to touch their salary. Does it sound interesting to you? We assure you it is, so go ahead! Start reading...
What is active listening?
If you're a regular reader of our blog, you'll probably know what active listening is; It doesn't hurt to refresh the concept anyway, does it?
Active listening can be defined as a innate or acquired communicative ability which allows the interlocutor to fully understand the message being sent to you by another person through verbal and non-verbal language.
Two points particularly important on the what is active listening really:
- It is an innate ability. This means that we can be born “knowing” how to listen actively, but that we can also develop, enhance and improve this ability.
- It is a learned skill. Everyone can learn to be an active listener. There are techniques, courses and workshops that teach this skill which, as we will see later, is fundamental for certain CEOs and managers who wish to practice persuasive communication.
What is active listening for?
Undoubtedly, practising active listening on a personal, family and friendship level will help us to improving communication with our loved ones, to resolve conflicts, to prevent arguments due to misinterpretations, and so on. But what is the point of practising this communication skill? at the professional and business level?
It could be said that active listening is key in both the internal communication processes as in the external communication processes with suppliers and customers.
Active listening is key to all the processes of internal communication since:
- It avoids arguments, misunderstandings and confusion among team members.
- It helps to settle professional disputes that cloud the working climate of the organisation.
- It clarifies the responsibilities assigned at each milestone of a project.
- It helps to anticipate future human factors problems.
- Etc.
Active listening is key to all the processes of external communication since:
- Avoid discussions, misunderstandings and confusion with our suppliers and customers.
- It helps to clarify the responsibilities acquired by both parties (company and suppliers or company and customers).
- Improve the quality of customer services.
- It helps to convert sporadic customers into captive customers.
- Etc.
Keys to improve active listening
As we mentioned a few lines ago, active listening it is a communication skill that can be improved or learned How is this done? In many and varied ways, such as the following:
- Create a relaxed atmosphere. The environment in which the conversation takes place should be conducive to the message flowing freely and without barriers. Avoid noisy environments where phones are ringing and people are circulating.
- Get to know your interlocutor. The more you know the person in front of you, the better you will know how to interpret their non-verbal language, body posture, the direction of their gaze, the real meaning of their verbal and non-verbal expressions, etc.
- Do not judge or prejudge. Judging what someone is telling you before they have finished their speech is a major communication barrier that will prevent you from really understanding the meaning of the speech.
- Learn not to interrupt. This is one of the most important keys to active listening: not interrupting your interlocutor by taking the floor when it is not your place to do so.
- Train your observation skills. Remember that in order to practice active listening, the non-verbal language that your interlocutor is transmitting to you through their clothes, their hairstyle, their gaze, their silence, etc., is fundamental.
Train your non-verbal language. Active listening is a communicative skill in which you are also conveying many things without saying a single word. What does that mean? That you must convey to your interlocutor that you are actively and proactively listening not only by not interrupting his speech verbally, but also by looking him in the eyes, not playing with your pen, not crossing your arms over your chest...
