How to Use Active Listening To Create A Happier Workplace
by Heather Wolfson, CEO & Lead Strategist, Maven Leadership Consulting
Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash
Picture this: You're sitting in a meeting, watching as your boss drones on and on about the latest company initiative. Your mind wanders to your to-do list, what you'll have for lunch, and that Netflix show you've meant to start.
Suddenly, your boss stops speaking and directs a question at you.
You snap back to attention, but you have no idea what was just said. You stammer, trying to come up with a coherent response.
The rest of the meeting goes on in a haze, and you leave feeling frustrated and unproductive.
Does this scenario sound familiar? We've all been there, but here's why you shouldn't let that stop you from improving.
The corporate world is known for its fast-paced and high-pressure work environment, making it challenging for employees to listen actively.
A study by the University of California, Davis, in 2017, found that active listening skills were significantly correlated with job satisfaction and performance in the technology industry.
The study found that employees who felt that they were good listeners reported higher levels of job satisfaction and were rated as more effective by their supervisors.
Active listening, therefore, can make the difference between a successful negotiation and a failed one, a cohesive team and a dysfunctional one, or even a thriving business and a struggling one.
In this article, we'll explore the benefits of active listening for corporate leadership, common barriers that get in the way, and practical tips for encouraging active listening skills.
So, put down your phone, tune out the distractions, and let's dive in!
What Is Active Listening?
Active listening is a communication method that emphasizes understanding the speaker’s message, feelings, and intentions.
Put simply, it’s a way to ensure you actively understand what the other person is saying—not just hearing it!
When you are an active listener, you pay attention to the speaker’s body language, nonverbal cues, and tone of voice, as well as their words. You also take time to process what was said and respond accordingly, without jumping in with your observations or opinions. This can help you build relationships and trust while gaining a full understanding of your colleague's point of view.
Why Is Active Listening Important for Corporate Leadership?
For corporate leadership, actively engaging with and understanding what your team is saying—promotes trust, strengthens relationships, and leads to better teamwork and collaboration.
Active listening also encourages open dialog between team members and allows for a greater flow of ideas. It encourages brainstorming sessions where everyone can be heard without judgment or criticism.
This helps teams make better decisions based on a rounded understanding of different opinions and perspectives.
It's no wonder that active listening is such an important skill for leaders in the corporate workplace. When each team member is heard, trusted, and respected, it fosters a more positive work environment where creativity can thrive.
Benefits of Active Listening for Corporate Leadership
To expand more on some of the benefits mentioned earlier, incorporating active listening in the corporate workplace has several key benefits, and they include:
Improving communication — By paying close attention to someone else’s words, body language, and vocal inflection, active listening allows you to understand and interpret what was said more accurately before responding.
This can be especially important during conflict situations where the slightest misjudgment can lead to even more chaos for everyone involved.
You can also practice asking questions to gain clarity, paraphrasing what you heard to confirm that you understood it correctly, and providing feedback about your understanding.
Enhancing relationships — Active listening helps create better relationships with colleagues and clients, building trust and fostering collaboration.
Enabling problem-solving — When you focus on understanding before offering solutions, it can help you get to the root cause of problems quickly and accurately.
As a leader, this will help your colleagues better engage with you to solve the problems at hand, and as a result, improve efficiency and productivity in the workplace.
Barriers To Active Listening In The Workplace And Tips To Overcome Them
To make the day-to-day tasks easier as a corporate leader, you must be aware of the biggest challenges with active listening. It's important to recognize these common barriers and take action to prevent them.
By proactively addressing these common barriers, you will be better positioned to lead a productive team.
Distractions
The workplace can be a bustling place with distractions such as background noise, phone ringing, and interruptions from colleagues, even remotely. When you try to focus on one conversation over the others, it can be very difficult.
When you're engaged in a remote conversation, it's important to minimize distractions so that you can give your full attention to the speaker. Make sure that your workspace is quiet and free from distractions like emails, text messages, or notifications from your phone or computer and even pets.
Being Overwhelmed with Stress
Another common barrier to active listening is stress. When you're already overwhelmed with tasks and deadlines, it can be hard to stay focused enough to listen carefully. Additionally, a stressful work environment can make it more challenging to truly understand what a person is saying to you and what they need help with.
To keep this problem in check, you must constantly review upcoming tasks and projects to see what you can cut off or delegate to your subordinates. This will help reduce the workload and, in turn, reduce stress.
Assumptions
Our past experiences can also contribute to our difficulty with active listening. It's natural for us to bring our personal beliefs, biases, and experiences into conversations we have at work, whether intentional or not. Being aware of how these things affect your ability to listen actively can help you become a better listener in any situation.
It's important to remain open-minded and avoid making assumptions. Listen intently to what they say, and only speak when necessary.
Lack of Interest
When you lack interest in a conversation or meeting, you may find yourself tuning out or becoming distracted. This can happen when the topic is irrelevant to you or you don't see the value in the conversation.
Additionally, if you perceive the speaker as uninteresting or unimportant, you may not give your full attention, and it may lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication.
One of the first things you should do is show genuine interest in what your colleagues have to say. That doesn't mean that you have to agree with them, but it does mean that you should try and be respectful during conversations with them. You can do this by maintaining eye contact if you have a video call or by engaging in side conversations when appropriate. This lets your team know that their words matter to you.
Multitasking
Multitasking can also hinder your ability to listen actively. In today's fast-paced work environment, you may feel pressure to juggle multiple projects, tasks, and conversations simultaneously. However, multitasking can make it difficult to focus on the conversation, causing you to miss important details, fail to pick up on nonverbal cues, or misinterpret the speaker's intent.To overcome this barrier, it's important to prioritize active listening and make it a dedicated task. This may involve setting aside dedicated time for conversations or meetings, minimizing distractions such as turning off notifications or closing unrelated tabs, or practicing mindfulness techniques to help you stay focused on the present moment.
Active Listening With Remote Teams
In today's work environment, remote workplaces are a norm, and it can be tough to manage teams remotely. To build strong working relationships and effectively collaborate, active listening is key. Let's explore how you can use active listening to strengthen communication and foster a positive team culture when working remotely.
Use Video Conferencing:
If possible, use video conferencing tools like Zoom or Skype to facilitate remote conversations.
Video conferencing allows you to see the speaker's body language and facial expressions, which can help you better understand their message.
Clarify Understanding:
In a remote work setting, it's easy for miscommunication to occur. To avoid misunderstandings, clarify your understanding of the speaker's message by repeating what they said in your own words or asking questions.
Take Notes:
Taking notes can help you remember important details from the conversation and demonstrate that you're engaged and attentive. Use a notebook or a note-taking app to jot down key points, action items, or questions you want to follow up on.
Practice Empathy:
Active listening involves not just hearing the speaker's words but also understanding their perspective and emotions. Practice empathy by putting yourself in the speaker's shoes and trying to see things from their point of view.
Ask Open-Ended Questions:
Another great way to become better active listeners is by asking open-ended questions during remote conversations with colleagues. This will keep the conversation going and allow both parties involved to dive deeper into the topic at hand. Plus, it will allow everyone to think about what they're saying and ensure everyone's point of view is heard.
Implementing Active Listening in the Corporate Workplace
When implemented properly, active listening leads to improved productivity, increased job satisfaction, and stronger relationships between employees and management.
To create a culture of active listening in your workplace, you need to encourage communication and feedback among your colleagues. You can achieve this by setting up regular meetings, one-on-one sessions, and open-door policies. It's important to create an environment where you and your colleagues feel comfortable expressing your thoughts and concerns without fear of reprisal.
You can also improve your active listening skills by taking advantage of the training and resources provided by your company. This can include workshops, seminars, and online resources that teach you to listen actively, ask questions, and respond appropriately.
Such resources can also teach you to understand different communication styles, identify common communication barriers, and develop strategies for overcoming them.
Conclusion
Becoming an active listener is an essential skill you must have as a business person, professional, or leader to foster success.
Through active listening, you can better understand your colleagues, clients, and customers while creating a space of openness, trust, and empathy. Not only is it a great way to increase productivity, but it can also help you create stronger and more meaningful relationships in the workplace.
Whether you’re dealing with clients in person or remotely, the benefits of active listening can be unlocked in every corporate workplace. By taking the time to truly listen to what others have to say, you are showing respect for the individuals who you interact with and empowering them to share their ideas, opinions, and experiences - ultimately creating a more effective and successful work environment.
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