Listening

Listening is the key to effective communication. Effective listening helps in sharing clear information, increasing productivity, building customer satisfaction and employee motivation. Whereas poor listening can easily create misunderstanding, irritation or frustration in business.

Listening is a desirable strength for your business to have in order to build relationships both internally and externally.

Advantages of good listening:

1. Solve problems:

• In order to run business smoothly, problems need to be addressed on time before they become huge. So, to reach a solution, it is vital to understand the problem, listen to others without any judgement or biases.

• Like you can make eye contact with speaker, pay full attention in listening leaving your work or phone aside. Suppose your sales person is unable to complete his target from last 4 weeks, then this problem needs to be addressed before he misses quarterly target.

2. Gain information and increase productivity:

• Listening helps in gaining information before making a final decision for benefit of your business.

• For instance, by listening to new client about his business, understanding his vision and goals, you can advise a strategy for growth and planning. Also, listening your team members can bring more connection with managers and hence, increasing their productivity and employee engagement.

3. Generate new ideas:

• If you communicate frequently with your team and actively listen to whatever comes in their mind, then they feel confident to generate new ideas.

• For instance, they can share new ideas to deal with a difficult client or suggest a new process to streamline production.

4. Helps in team work and building trust:

• Listening skills help in dealing with different types of situation and people. You gradually become better in understanding others and making them understand what you want to say. So, listening is foundation of building trust.

• If your production team of 5 members have a target of making 50 chairs a day, then one person’s weakness may affect the whole target. So, understanding other human, paying attention to his strengths and weaknesses to increase strengths of his team builds trust.

• Also, if you spend some time with team every week and let them speak what’s in their mind whether they are happy about a new project, irritated with any client or have a fear of losing a client, then your team will be more connected and engaged and hence, dedicated to your business.

5. Reduces conflict:

• Poor communication leads to misunderstanding and confusion, turning a simple task into complicated task.

• Suppose your team needs to design a website and all team members have a specific role in designing the website, then clear instructions & communication, listening rather than arguing reduces conflict and you can get the website made more effectively.

{proforms 1}