Home Knowledge Center Consultant Tips Improve your Listening Skills
Improve your Listening Skills
Listen…..It’s the sound of your career moving forward
Date: March 25, 2010
Category: Marketing Yourself
Look at any open position on a job board and 9 times out of 10 “good communication skills” will be part of the job requirement.
Have you received a call today from your co-worker or your supervisor, and did you find yourself multitasking while talking on the telephone? If so, you may be missing vital information. While trying to do double duty you may not pick up the subtle clues that are necessary for you to reach your full potential as an employee.
Here are five simple ways to become a better listener in a day:
1. Take notes and ask questions during conversations; repeat those notes at the end of the conversation to ensure that no misinterpretation has occurred.
2. Let the person(s) that you are talking with finish their statements. Whether you think you know what the individual is going to say or not, keep quiet until they are done. Interrupting is discourteous and can hinder what could be a valuable discussion.
3. If you disagree with something someone is saying wait until they have finished their statement and say something along the lines of “So what I think you’re saying is…..” and repeat how you interpreted their statement. Restating what someone has said can allow you to see if you fully understand one another before immediately disagreeing.
4. Remove all distractions. Put your mobile device in your desk drawer if it will be a distraction during conversations at work. It may sound ridiculous, but in this day and age, we all have become accustomed to checking email and mobile phones constantly, which is not very conducive to a good conversation.
5. Go into every discussion with an open mind. Trying to see other individuals’ point of view during conversations can go a long way in making you a true team player. Team players are a valuable asset for every organization and most supervisors and companies know and recognize this in their employees.
Bottom line - when you receive a call or are in a conversation, focus on the individual(s) you are talking with, take notes, and LISTEN.