Listening: The Forgotten Business Tool
HR Solutions Inc. released the results of a 2008 survey of over two million employees in 2,100 organizations listing the top ten employee complaints. It was no surprise that two of the ten complaints involved situations that could have been resolved by listening. The #6 complaint was that “The Human Resource Department needs to be more responsive to their questions and or concerns.” The #8 complaint stated, “ Improved communication and availability (both from their supervisors and upper management).”
In a business world of talking heads the important skill of active listening is often relegated to the bottom of the list of essential skills. Verbal prowess is valued as the cash cow of business acumen. During an interview have you ever been asked to cite examples of how your active listening skills improved the bottom line of an organization? Unless you are in customer service or sales have you ever received a commendation or monetary compensation for increasing business revenue due to your expert active listening skills? My guess is that your answer to both questions is no. However, can you remember receiving a customer complaint or losing an account because you were not actively listening to the customer? It is important to remember that active listening produces positive results. Ask any commission sales or customer service person. Communication is free, talk is cheap but active listening is economical.
According to Dr. Madelyn Burley-Allen, President of Dynamics of Human Behavior listening and hearing is not the same thing. We tend to think that listening is a natural, instinctive function that demands little skill. When in reality according to Dr. Burley-Allen,“ listening involves a more sophisticated mental process than hearing.” In her article Positive Influence by Effective Listening in the Innovative Leader Volume 10, Number 2 she states “people are only about 25 percent efficient as listeners.” In a service economy in order to remain profitable that percentage needs to increase several fold. Companies that maintain a “listening culture” where the employees perceive that management listens to them, tend to have happier, more productive employees. Unfortunately in our current business climate it is possible to hear an employee or a client speaking without actively listening to what the person is saying. Since most people react to what they perceive they have heard, more attention needs to be paid to the development of active listening skills.
- The question then becomes how can I develop into an active listener?
- Show respect to the speaker by staying in the moment. (no distractions)
- Concentrate on the verbal and non- verbal cues of the speaker. Words are 7%, tone is 38% and body language is 55%
- Periodically summarize/paraphrase the speaker’s points for clarity and to let the person know you are listening
- Do not interrupt the speaker
- Ask questions
- Reply in a prompt and timely manner
The bottom line for business is that a “listened to” workforce is a motivated one. It is a win /win situation for the organization. Listening demands action on the parts of both the speaker and the listener. The partnership creates an atmosphere of awareness, respect and understanding. Take a look at Fortune’s 100 best places to work. See what the employees say about management. Are you listening?
