The importance of being a good listener and how to do it

If you're like most people, listening probably ranks pretty low on your list of most desired professional skills. 

The main problem with listening as a skill is that most people are under the impression that they are already quite good at it, which in reality is rarely the case. 

Research by Mind Tools suggests that the average human being only recalls between 25% and 50% of what they hear. So there's definitely room for improvement. But it's not just about being able to recall information. If you listen properly you are, by default, more engaged. People these days appear to be less engaged and it's costly: a study by Gallup estimated the global cost to businesses of lost employee engagement at half a trillion dollars each year. 

If you are willing to put in the effort, your listening skills and those of your team can be improved dramatically. Here are our top tips for achieving aural excellence:

1. Pay attention

Giving your undivided attention to someone who's speaking is harder than it appears. To avoid switching off, look at the speaker directly, taking notice of body language and gestures. Put any distracting thoughts to the back of your mind and resist the temptation to prepare your rebuttal until after they've finished talking. 

2. Exercise

Group-based exercises are great for developing listening skills within a team or wider organisation. The majority of these focus on 'active listening' which involves the listener feeding back the information they've heard in order to check they've understood. A quick Google search will pull up a good selection of exercises for you to practise with.

3. Show them you're listening

Effective listening is not just about obtaining as much information as possible; it involves giving encouragement to the person speaking, and showing you're paying attention. Small gestures, such as nodding and smiling and presenting an open, inviting posture all help convey interest. 

4. Care

Show you really care about what the other person is saying by avoiding passing judgement or asking loaded questions that have the answers embedded in them such as “do you think this might have happened because you did that?” Allow them to impart the information at their own pace and if you must ask a question make sure it is honest and open. Always wait until you've taken in all of what they have to say before offering up your own thoughts or advice. And don't presume that the only way you can add value is by criticising. 

While many of the techniques listed above may sound like common sense, it's surprising how many of us neglect to do these in our daily work lives. Do the simple things right and the rest will follow. Now, what did we just say?

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