Effective Listening - Don't Just Hear Your Employees, Listen...

A staff's productivity and efficiency depend on good communication. Good communication depends on effective listening.

Listening is not simply hearing, but a process of understanding and correctly interpreting a message from another.

Effective listening is a difficult task as listeners usually understand and retain only about 50 percent of the message that is being communicated to them. As more time passes, this percentage decreases.

Poor listening can lead to misconceptions of what is being said, which can then lead to inefficient and counterproductive processes.

When resolving a problem, ineffective listening can lead one person to misperceiving what another is saying and respond by addressing a totally different issue. This could make the speaker feel as if the listener is not paying attention to their concerns.

When any two people communicate, they are exchanging "messages". How each other interprets those messages, depends on how they are "packaged" and delivered. Listening allows a person to understand the communication methods and characteristics of others. Therefore, they can learn how to "package" and "deliver" messages to people in a way that they will understand, and will respond to rather than react to.

Categories of Listeners

Non-Listeners-

Acts as though they are paying attention but are thinking about something else while a speaker is speaking to them. Usually, while the speaker is thinking, a non-listener is thinking about their response. The non-listener does not care about what the person is saying but will want the last word.

Marginal Listener-

Hears what a speaker is saying but is not giving the words any further thought to consider the meaning. They do not care to dissect the problem and determine the root cause, but provides the simplest available solution. The marginal listener can give the speaker the impression that they are "listening" to their concerns when they are truly "hearing" them, and will think that their concerns will be addressed, only to realize later that nothing was done.

Valuative Listner-

Listens to what the person is saying but focuses on the content of the message rather than the intent and feelings of the speaker. The valuative is still emotionally detached from the situation. This is acceptable for dealing with data or facts, but not for being sensitive or empathetic.

Active Listener-

Listens to content, and considers the speakers intent. An active listener will try and share the speakers point of view to get a better understanding of what the speaker is trying to achieve. They pay attention to body language, tone of voice, and any other non-verbal expressions. They also ask questions that elicit more information from the speaker regarding the situation.