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How may times have one of your business colleagues asked you, “Are you listening?” With all of the distractions in the world today, it is very difficult to really listen and in the business world, you must know how to listen. Here are some facts about something we call “Power listening.” When you are listening to someone you must concentrate on what they are saying. Do not be distracted by such things as letting your mind wander or thinking about what you are going to say, just focus on what is being said at the time. If they say something that you don’t understand, stop the conversation until you comprehend what was said. If you don’t, your mind will be stuck on trying to figure out what was said and you will not hear the rest of the conversation. Other than interrupting the speaker to get something defined, you should let them speak until they are finished. When they have finished, acknowledge that you heard AND understood them. It is now your turn to respond to the speaker. In order to listen FULLY, it is best to make sure that you can see and hear the speaker. This will reinforce the listening process and will keep you in the communications cycle. Oh, while I think about it, when listening, avoid “filtering” any information that you don’t want to hear. Always keep an open mind. You can always argue YOUR point when it is your turn to talk. When you are having a conversation with someone, don’t try to “top” them with a better story than they told. This is childlike and should never be part of a business conversation. It is okay to tell stories that support the situation or shows the other person that you understand, but don’t appear to be “boastful.” The human communications cycle follows the same concept that two computers use when they are talking to each other. The start of the cycle is that one computer gets the attention of the second computer that it wants to interface with it. The second computer acknowledges that it is ready to listen (receive information). Then the first computer sends the data and when it is finished, it asks the second computer if it got everything. The second computer replies that is has and the first computer acknowledges that it knows the second computer received and understood the data. To be a Power Listener you should follow this process. When you are a Power Listener you are a better employee and develop a positive reputation. Jim Stedt is a partner at the “Business SoftSkills Company” located in Santa Ana, California. They provide job readiness and workforce success videos for education, business, prisons and individual use. Training is available online, on DVD, or through an affiliate program. These products are the most complete and concise soft skills training packages now available for the price of an average college textbook.
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