What is active listening?
Active listening is a skill in which you listen attentively and with understanding to your interlocutor, focusing all your attention not only on the meaning of their words, but also on the context.
Active listening is taught separately at special events, but some people develop this skill naturally. And if you want to improve it - this article will help you.
By the way, active listening is a skill that psychologists develop. We are ready to pay them to talk to them for an hour and get feedback from them. Just imagine that everyone would be just as eager to communicate with you - both in their personal life and at work!
The basic components of active listening:
1. Attention
The interlocutor must be convinced that you are not distracted by other stimuli while you are listening. If you take out your phone and start taking notes or responding to a messenger message, the other person will be convinced that your attention is lost.
2. Understanding
It is important for us to be understood. Sometimes we only need to hear a repetition of our last words or a simple “I understand you” to be sure.
3. Memorization
It is not enough to just say, “Yes, yes, I support it”, “Uh-huh”. It is important to really pay attention to the person with whom the dialog is taking place. Try to keep his or her words in your memory.
4. Analysis
By remembering and understanding the words of the interlocutor, you get the opportunity to analyze the information received. It is not always true, sometimes you can conclude that the interlocutor is “blowing dust in your eyes”.
5. Feedback
Even if you don't have any questions and you understand everything the other person said, you can give feedback. For example, by paraphrasing what the interlocutor said and saying that you completely agree with him/her, you will show him/her that you listened to him/her.
Distinguishing active listening from passive listening
Most ordinary coworker meetings are a model of how not to do things. That is passive listening.
One is openly yawning and waiting for the moment to sneak out for a third espresso.
Another is holding his phone under the table and texting his partner about how bored he is with everything.
A third is texting with a fourth.
The fifth is glancing over to the first, hinting that he doesn't mind coffee either....
The sixth tells about the results achieved, secretly wishing that this meeting would end as soon as possible.
The seventh is a practical student who doesn't understand what the sixth is talking about and tries to be as inconspicuous as possible.
A familiar picture, isn't it?
Passive listening involves immersing oneself in one's personal world, one's needs, concerns, and states. It is also ineffective: it does not allow you to get into another person's point of view and you cannot express your correct and appropriate opinion about the problem raised.
Active listening presupposes a desire to hear the person. It allows you to build a productive interaction without the effect of a deaf phone, unnecessary repetition, and a state of emptiness.
Why is active listening important in the workplace?
Building trust in the team
When we are listened to passively, we take it personally, as a personal grievance. The employee starts to feel that his/her opinion is not important or that he/she is not trusted or valued.
Active listening shows everyone that his opinion is important, he is valued, and he feels like a significant part of the social group. He can trust his colleagues, he does not need to defend himself against them.
Improved teamwork and interaction between employees
Active listening is a skill that is practiced. It will be an asset to each employee and will create a space in which everyone feels psychologically comfortable.
The more comfortable a person is in a team, the more likely they are to maximize their abilities. A team where everyone has active listening skills and applies them is the best prospect for the company!
Increased understanding of objectives and goals
What is called a “work moment” is often a common misunderstanding resulting from passive listening. The better team members are at active listening, the better they understand their roles in the organization.
Active listening is a masthead in situations where there is a lack of understanding within the team. When criticism crushes a part of the team when there are many personal accusations within the team and employees change frequently. The more uncomfortable the internal environment in the team, the more important it is to implement active listening.
Practical tips on active listening for employees
1. Use nonverbal cues
Nod, smile, make eye contact, and indicate your reaction with facial expressions.
2. Memorize what you want to say
Do not interrupt the interlocutor, try to memorize everything said and your thoughts about it.
3. Try to focus
Give yourself the attitude that everything else can wait. Do not check messages on your phone or react to other distractions during the call.
4. Talk
Do not remain silent, ask clarifying questions that will help you better understand the interlocutor and his/her thoughts.
How to incorporate active listening into face-to-face meetings and virtual discussions.
1. Conduct a specialized seminar for employees
Building active listening skills is something that can be practiced.
2. Start implementation from the top
It's a good idea to have a manager tell employees about active listening and ask them to practice it in their interactions with each other from now on.
Point 1 will not be out of place.
3. Use it personally
Those who know how to actively listen often become leaders in the team. A leader is not the one who shouts the loudest, but the one to whom everyone in the team reaches out and whose advice and opinions they want to hear.
Exercises and techniques for practicing active listening
You can learn active listening by practicing it in your daily life.
- Use role-playing games
To do this, ask someone to tell stories that seem boring to you.
Let it be a study of the structure of leviathans, the history of staplers - anything! Focus on the story, ask explanatory questions, and listen as if you have never heard a more interesting story. Afterward, ask your interlocutor for feedback. Take note of any shortcomings and move on!
- Practice mindfulness
Learn to focus on just one thing. If tricks are needed, use them.
It's hard not to check your phone for more than an hour - put it out of reach.
Distracted by unnecessary noises - capture the distractions and return to the task at hand.
Start a “mindfulness diary.” For a week, try to record all the major distractions that “knocked” you out of the workflow. Analyze them and think about how you can avoid them again.
How Voiset can help develop active listening skills in the workplace
1. Practice mindfulness by working in intervals
Voiset has a built-in Pomodoro timer, you can use it to learn how to stay focused during work intervals.
2. Set personal goals and achieve them
You managed to listen actively for half an hour - mark that goal as accomplished and set a new one!
3. Create notes from voice messages
Your interlocutor is away for a minute? During this time you can dictate a note, in which you will note all the key points of your conversation.
This is useful not only for not forgetting information but also for additional analysis of the situation.
Using Voiset to coordinate tasks and improve team communication
Teamwork requires a platform that allows everyone to accurately understand their area of responsibility.
With Voiset, each team member will have an understanding of their tasks. Use the RACI matrix to set tasks correctly, and use AI to plan employee schedules.
Voiset will increase psychological comfort within the team and allow each team member to express his/her opinion more easily and listen to colleagues more readily.
Listening is an important component of both personal and professional success. Try changing your approach to listening and you will be surprised how quickly the situation around you will change!
