People can listen at about 500 words a minute but can only speak about 150 words a minute, therefore they only hear about 33% of what is said. Their active minds wander in and out focusing on other things and quite often miss the intended meaning or purpose of the message making it the biggest contributing factor to miscommunication.
Organizational success depends on people communicating effectively which contributes to a positive performance environment and the bottom line. But effective communication requires more than speaking well; it's about the quality of the connection between the sender and the receiver of the message. Listening is a key ingredient in communication because it guides the receiver to appropriate responses.
- What does it cost an organization when ideas, expectations and or polices are misunderstood? You think they heard what you said - but did they really?
The strongest influence on the quality and outcome of all communications is the ability to listen effectively. You can only respond appropriately if you really hear the purpose of the sender’s message. The biggest contributor to miscommunication is using a listing approach that is not appropriate for the message being communicated or for the environment.
Select a Listening Approach based on the Situation and on the Communication Needs of the speaker.
Purpose • Motivation • Behavioral Indicators
- Not only does the sender of the message have a purpose, behavioral research shows that people approach listening with different purposes and with different motivations related to achieving that purpose.
- An individual’s Behavioral Styles also influences their natural communication approach.
- When you start taking these three primary factors into consideration when choosing a listening approach, your responses will be more appropriate for the situation and your communications more effective.
Listening is the ability to Receive, Attend to, Interpret, and Respond to verbal messages and other cues, like body language, in ways that are appropriate to the purpose of the communication.
- If the message is entertaining, our purpose is to enjoy, so we listen and respond in a relaxed manner.
- If the message is intended to persuade us, our purpose is to make decisions based on the information, so we listen and respond analytically.
The five Listening Approaches are distinctly different:
Seminar participants discover their preferred or “natural” listening approach in their personalized Personal Listening Profile® they receive at the workshop. They gain insight into the root of their most common type of miscommunication and into the benefits of using variety of approaches depending on the situation.
- Enhance Individual and Team Performance
- Reduce Miscommunication that result in Inefficiencies.
- Build Stronger Relationships as an “engaged” listener
- Get the message right he first time
- Respond appropriately to others communication needs.
- Discover you own preferred natural Listening Approach and how to adapt your approach depending on the situation to be more effective.
- Key Characteristics of the Five Primary Listening Approaches.
- Understanding your Preferred Listening Approach – When it works well for you and how it can work against you!
- Learn to Listen and Respond with Purpose.
- Matching Listening Approaches to Communication Needs.
- Barriers and Bridges to Communication.
- How to Help Someone Listen to You.
- 10 Tips for Tip-Top Listening.
- Becoming a Whole Body Listener.
Contact Us for more information on how to improve your team’s listening and communication skills. Conduct an in-house program by Infocus or purchase the complete Facilitation Kit for your training and development staff to deliver.
