Negotiation - Sales Manager Magazine

The contrast between hearing and really listening can be as different as night and day. We listen in order to learn and retain information and in a business environment, it is of paramount importance that we listen effectively. Not to do so can mean the difference between doing something right or wrong, or even success and failure.

Good communication with customers, employees and peers is all about the quality of the connection between the sender of the message and the receiver and the strongest influence on the outcome of the communication is in the hands of the listener. Errors are expensive, so if an organisation hasnt invested in improving the listening skills of its employees, it could be costing the business a small fortune.

For example, lets say every other person in your company makes one mistake a week through poor listening mistakes such as taking an order down incorrectly, having to re-do something, doing the wrong task or delivering the wrong product. And lets assume that each mistake costs the company a minimum of $20. Over the course of a year, that would add up to over $50,000 in avoidable costs for a 100-person organisation.

1. Are you aware that research has shown that most people only use one or two of five different Listening approaches?

3. Do you know how to and do you consciously adopt a flexible Listening approach to meet the demands of the situation?

Now consider the following statements that may indicate inflexible Listening behaviours on the part of the individual being described.

" Just once I'd like him to take things a little more seriously. Life isnt one big joke."

" I didn't need her to come up with a solution, I could have done that myself. I just needed her to appreciate there was a problem."

" Drives me nuts the way he insists on summarising and paraphrasing everything I say."

" I wish she wouldnt attempt to analyse everything I say. Sometimes there is no main message."

Have you made these or similar comments about someone in your organisation? Or is it possible that other people may be saying something similar about you?

When we are speaking, we generally have an expectation of how the other person should act and when they act in a manner inconsistent with that expectation, we are left feeling that the interaction hasnt been as effective as we might have liked.

Take these following scenarios: which of the two listening approaches is the speaker likely to consider more appropriate?

A person experiencing some emotional trauma will appreciate (a) someone who listens and provides support without offering advice, or (b) someone who is quick to give advice.
A salesperson would prefer you to (a) actively disagree with aspects of their proposal, or (b) sit quietly without making any comment.
A person providing you with instructions would prefer you to (a) wait till theyve given you all the information, then act, or (b) take action the minute you think youve got the message.

When people are communicating with us, they are likely to have an expectation of how we should behave. We need to determine what these expectations are and what we can do to demonstrate the appropriate listening approach. By doing so, we can enhance the effectiveness of our communication. An awareness of our own and others behavioural preferences will also assist us in deciding how to adapt our behaviour to significantly enhance our personal effectiveness when dealing with others.

Fortunately, the act of hearing is natural for most people, but hearing is not listening! Hearing is passive while listening is active and you can do something positive about improving listening skills.

There are learning tools available to help us develop effective listening strategies and create a personal development plan to become active, purposeful listeners in a wide variety of situations for more productive communication. Similarly, there are other tools that teach us about our preferred behavioural styles and the impact these are likely to have on the people we interact with.

The best part of it all is that the return for an organisation in helping its employees become more aware of how they listen and what they need to do to improve their listening skills will far outweigh any investment in providing this training.

What is poor listening costing your organisation?