How To Be a Better Listener

Article from the series for Young Professionals and Self-Improvement.

By Kamilla Kay, PMP |

Way too often we catch ourselves hearing but not really listening. Our busy professional and personal lives are quickly turning us into multi-tasking machines. Deadlines, meetings, thousands of e-mails, constant mobility – are just a few of those distractions to our non-stop craziness. We tend to listen on the run – we hear them, we formulate our quick opinionated responses, we move on. After all, who has the time to stop and really truly listen?

Surely, time is a factor and a good excuse to a lot of our problems. Or, maybe we plainly do not know how to listen! There is an enormous array of resources that could teach us how to speak eloquently, intelligently. We praise and follow those leaders who are persuasive orators. Paradoxically, we are on our own when things come to learning how to be good listeners. We’ve sort of picked up this important skill intuitively, by way of trial and error. As a result, not too many of us are truly good listeners. This is a solid skill that we need to focus our attention on.

Here are some quick pointers to keep in mind to be a better listener:

1. Help a speaker to open up to you.
If you sense some sort of a barrier, try to make a person comfortable to relay the message. Asking questions to assist a speaker ‘to spit it out’ will show that you are not there just to hear but to listen.

2. Put yourself in a speaker’s shoes.
Seeing the situation from the eye’s of a speaker, placing yourself mentally into his/her place – are the key to really understanding the root of his/her particular point. Keeping this point in mind will help you to keep listening to even the most boring of conversations.

3. Use appropriate body language.
Make a strong eye contact but don’t stare without blinking. Nodding, showing non-verbally that you are captivated – are some of the most important ways to show that you are actively listening.

4. Express a genuine interest.
Encourage them to continue by asking questions, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Your active verbal participation helps to show that you are truly interested in the topic.

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5. Don’t rush to interrupt, argue, or change the subject.
Simply to stop talking is the easiest way to show the person you are actually listening. Refrain yourself from blasting out your immediate opinion while the speaker is mid-sentence. It is polite to wait until he/she pauses in an attempt to hear your response.

What are some of your proven ideas that help to be better listeners? Share your tips.

From: http://ping.fm/khIrx