By developing, practicing and advancing your listening skills as a business leader you can significantly improve the quality of service you provide both your customers and your employees.
Become a better listener by:
- Practicing. Take time each day to consciously practice listening to what your employees, suppliers or customers are saying. Resist the urge to speak or even think about your response while the other party is speaking.
- Using your eyes. Much of communication includes non-verbal dialogue. Pay attention to the speakers’ body language, facial expressions and tone of voice. Consider what they are saying to you with their non-verbal communication as well as their verbal messages.
- Looking for the key message. Filter out the less important elements of the message being communicated by the speaker. Try not to get distracted by excess details. Try to pay attention and determine what the main message is that the speaker is trying to communicate.
- Slowing down. Allow a moment of silence before responding. When you respond try to clearly reiterate to the speaker they key message that you think they were trying to get across. Confirm that your interpretation is correct and ask any required follow up questions for clarification. Be sure to continue to listen carefully to the response.