High-Achieving Women's Blogazine

Did you know that most Americans speak at a rate of 180 words per minute and listen at a rate of 600 words per minute?  It’s easy to understand why our minds get bored waiting for someone to make a point. You can keep your mind focused on what someone says by doing the following:

• Take notes – this necessitates a slower listening speed and allow you to concentrate on what the person is saying.
• Ask questions – this is an effective technique for slowing the listening speed.  When combined with taking notes, it allows you to ask relevant questions which greatly enhance your ability to communicate effectively.
• Provide continual feedback – it means summarizing or paraphrasing key points the person made and it will trigger you to reference your notes.

Good listening skills involve not only hearing, but understanding, assimilating and giving feedback.  The common pitfalls of poor listeners are:

• Impatience
• Mental distractions
• Trying to do two things at once
• Making assumptions

In the Corporate world, good listening skills make workers more productive. The ability to listen carefully will allow you to better understand assignments and what is expected of you while building rapport with co-workers, your boss and clients. Here are 3 tips to be a better listener:

1. Exercise your listening muscles. Challenge yourself by listening to difficult material and by learning the meaning to new words. A steady diet of easy listening will not prepare you for difficult listening situations.
2. Focus on main points and key ideas. The best listeners focus on ideas rather than just the facts and details.
3. Follow the “Golden Rule.” Treat others the way you want to be treated. Ask, “How would I want others to listen to me?” That’s the way to be a good listener.

I hope that these points will help you become a better listener.  Good listening skills lead to better communication skills which are the stepping stone to effective leadership skills.