5 Guaranteed Effective Listening Techniques
1. Seek out opportunities to listen. Don’t just have an open-door policy. Instead, proactively go to your people and listen to them.
2. Establish trust in your relationship. If you respond negatively to what you hear, use the information against them, or listen and then do nothing, they will lose trust and you are finished.
3. Don’t interrupt. Let them finish talking before you say anything. The key to listening is to STOP talking.
4. Don’t get defensive or attempt to justify or explain away their concerns. These are natural tendencies but you must fight off the urge with all of your strength. Otherwise, you shut down the conversation and will reduce the flow of information.
5. Promise to consider what they are saying and get back to them with what you will do. Don’t promise or commit to a specific action while listening. They don’t expect that anyway. And, if you do you may have to take it back later. Instead, afterwards thoughtfully consider the information and find a way to say “yes”. Saying “yes” to even a small part of their request will give them a win and add immeasurably to their willingness to follow you.
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5 guaranteed techniques for effective listening!
Filed under: Listening Skills