Benefits of Active Listening

Benefits of Active Listening

Listening well - listening ACTIVELY - is obviously important, and can provide HUGE benefits to most people: Active listening helps to identify deeper customer needs, it establishes a more comfortable relationship with the customer, reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings or tension, makes problem solving easier and ultimately - leads to increases sales and profits.

But what do we mean exactly by the term ACTIVE listening? And how is it different from just plain old listening? Active listeners take the art of listening to a whole new level of effectiveness. Active Listeners are not only paying attention to the CONTENT of a conversation, but also the other person’s INTENT and the underlying EMOTIONS expressed. They listen for what's NOT being said, and they know that HOW a person expresses themselves can tell you as much as WHAT they say.

Skills to Improve your Active Listening ability.

This may seem obvious, but LIMIT your own talking. You can't talk and listen at the same time. So no matter how much information you think you need to share with the other person, if you’re going to be an active listener then most of the time your mouth should be closed.
Tune in to the other person. Be genuinely interested and show it. Are you giving your full attention or is your mind wandering? Concentrate on shutting out any outside distractions. You have to be genuinely "engaged" in a conversation to encourage others to speak freely.
Think like the other person. They have problems, needs, and opinions that are important. Put yourself in their shoes - what would YOU be thinking and feeling if you were on THEIR end of the selling relationship? You'll understand their needs better if you try to get to their point of view.
Hold your fire. Don't jump to conclusions too soon. If someone makes a statement or asks a question or expresses a concern, respond only after you're certain you FULLY understand their perspective.
Listen for IDEAS and EMOTIONS, not just words. You want to get the comprehensive picture, not just isolated bits and pieces. And notice nonverbal language. A shrug, smile, laugh, gesture, facial expression, and other body movements often speak louder than words.
Use interjections. An occasional "I see," or "uh uh," or "Is that so" shows the other person you're still there, still engaged - but don't overdo it - Don't use interjections as meaningless conversation filler. Just make sure that you're using interjections to let the other person know you're tracking with them.
Turn off your own worries. Personal worries and problems not connected with the issue at hand can form a kind of "static" that keeps you from hearing the other person’s message. So whatever else might be going on in your life - check those problems at the door.
Take notes. This will help you remember important points. But be selective. Trying to take down everything that's said can result in being left far behind or retaining irrelevant details. But when an important point is made, make sure you write it down.
Prepare in advance. You should have a PLAN for questioning prepared in advance - this frees your mind for ACTIVE LISTENING. A Questions "MAP" or checklist of items you want to discuss and clarify can help keep you on track and insure that your ACTIVE LISTENING effort pays off.
Ask REFLECTIVE questions - If there are any issues you are uncertain about, or comments that aren't clear to you, repeat back what you just heard and ask if you understand correctly. This can often quick clear up miscommunication that stems from different interpretations of words and phrases.
Listen for the other person’s particular LANGUAGE and communication style; their words, phrases, ways of expressing themselves - and to the degree possible, without mimicking or obviously imitating them - use their language.