sharpen and up-grade manager’s listening skills

SHARED FROM:

Lyndon Jones, Effective listening, Education & Training, February, 1980

Lyndon Jones, Effective listening, Education & Training, February, 1986

 

Tips to sharpen and up-grade manager’s listening skills

•        Listen first, then answer

-          The most common barrier to effective listening is mentally preparing an answer while the other person is speaking

•        Regard old messages as new

-          The attitude "I've heard it all before" erodes listening effectiveness.

•        Respect differences

-          Yield on your preconceived notions of good, bad, right and wrong, moral, immoral.

•        Listen to how things are said

-          The delivery of speech can be broken down into four components:

§  Emphasis - may be placed on different words in a sentence and add meaning.

§  Speed of delivery - Variations from the individual's normal rate of speaking can afford significant clues to the speaker's feelings.  People tend to talk faster when angry, excited or frustrated, and slower when thinking or reluctant to discuss a topic.

§  Tone - the throat muscles tighten and the voice moves to a higher pitch when there is stress or anxiety.

§  Volume - increase in speech volume usually indicates an increase in emotional intensity.

•        Observe non-verbal behaviour

-          constantly observe the speaker’s movement as it can reveal feelings, emotions and reactions

-          pay attention to:

§  Eye contact - how a person looks at another is a major part of non-verbal communication.

§  Use of hands - hands present the most expressive non-verbal communication.

§  Posture - how one sits can be a key indicator of factors such as the stress level, the degree of co-operation and the like.

•        Use spare lime effectively

-          a person can listen at a much faster rate than the speed at which thoughts can be converted to speech.

-          According to laboratory tests people talk at rates of 100 to 200 words a minute, whilst thinking somewhere between 600 and 800 words a minute.

-          In untrained listener, the brain engages in activities that impede comprehension; for example, it may be planning the afternoon work schedule.