If your colleagues were asked to rate you on your ability to listen actively, how would you rank? Listening is about courtesy and respect, and once you look at it from that perspective, learning how to listen is much simpler. Being an active listener is a coveted skill, and one of the ingredients in the formula for success.
- Listen first, talk later.
- When someone is speaking to you, even if it is on the phone, give him your undivided attention – no multitasking. He will feel like the most important person in the world.
- Do not put words in another person’s mouth, or finish her sentences for her, let her say what she has to say without interrupting. Do not compose your response while she is talking, listen keenly to what is being said, and why.
- Allow others to speak freely. Evaluate what they have to say, and don’t just treat the information as it is immaterial. Everyone has something important to contribute.
- In a world with so much noise, people are struggling to be heard, be the one who is different, listen more and talk less. You might learn something that's important.
- To let others know that you are listening to them and hearing what they have to say, take the time to reinterpret. “This is what I heard you say….is this what you meant?”
By not listening, and consistently interrupting, or disregarding what others have to contribute, you eventually shut people down, and you close the lines of communication. Eventually, they will stop listening to you. Communication goes both ways, therefore being courteous and respectful helps you to listen actively, which gives you an edge, since most people do not know how to listen actively.
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