Important Active Listening Skills and Techniques

Important Active Listening Skills and Techniques Important Active Listening Skills and Techniques Whats active listening, and why is it important for your career? Active listening is the process by which an individual secures information from another individual or group. The “active” element involves taking steps to draw out details that might not otherwise be shared. Active listeners avoid interrupting at all costs, summarize and repeat back what they have heard, and observe body language to give them an extra level of understanding.   Active listening is a helpful skill for any worker to develop. It helps you truly understand what people are saying in conversations and meetings (and not just what you want to hear, or think you hear). During interviews, it can help you build rapport with your interviewer.   What Is Active Listening? Like  critical thinking  and  problem-solving, active listening is a  soft skill  that’s held in high regard by employers. When interviewing for jobs, using active listening techniques can help show the interviewer how your interpersonal skills can draw people out. Active listening redirects your focus from what is going on inside of your head to the needs of your prospective employer or interviewer. That can help reduce your nervousness during an interview.   By placing your focus, through active listening, squarely upon the interviewer, you prove that you: Are interested in the organization’s challenges and successesAre ready to help them problem-solve work issuesAre a team player as opposed to being nothing more than a self-absorbed job candidate. It’s important to not interrupt, or worse, try to answer the question before you know what the interviewer is asking. Listen carefully to the interviewer’s questions, ask for clarification if necessary, and wait until the interviewer has finished talking to respond. Examples of Active Listening Techniques There are plenty of active listening techniques that will improve the impression you can make at a job interview. Active listening techniques include: Building trust and establishing rapportDemonstrating concernParaphrasing to show understandingNonverbal cues  which show understanding such as nodding, eye contact, and leaning forwardBrief verbal affirmations like “I see,” “I know,” “Sure,” “Thank you,” or “I understand”Asking open-ended questionsAsking specific questions to seek clarificationWaiting to disclose your opinionDisclosing similar experiences to show understanding Examples of Active Listening Responses It’s often easier to learn by reading examples. Here are some examples of statements and questions employed with active listening: Building Trust and Establishing Rapport:  â€œTell me what I can do to help.” “I was really impressed to read on your website how you donate five percent of each sale to charity.”Demonstrating Concern: “I am eager to help you; I know you are going through some tough challenges.” “I know how hard a corporate restructuring can be â€" how is staff morale at this point?”  Paraphrasing: “So, you are saying that the uncertainty about who will be your new supervisor is creating stress for you.” “So, you think that we need to build up our social media marketing efforts.”   Brief Verbal Affirmation: “I understand that you would like more frequent feedback about your performance.” “Thank you. I appreciate your time in speaking to me.”Asking Open-Ended Questions:  â€œI can see that Johns criticism was very upsetting to you. Which aspect of his critique was most disturbing?” “It’s clear that the current situation is intolerable for you. What changes would you like to see?”Asking Specific Questions: “How long do you expect your hiring process to last?” “What is your average rate of staff turnover?” Waiting to Disclose Your Opinion: “Tell me more about your proposal to reorganize the department.” “Can you please provide some history for me regarding your relationship with your former business partner?”  Disclosing Similar Situations:  â€œI was also very conflicted about returning to work after the birth of my son.” “I had the responsibility of terminating four of my personnel, due to downsizing, over the last two years. Even if it’s necessary, it never gets easier.”   More Active Listening Skills ValidationEmotional IntelligenceProblem SensitivityCourtesyProfessionalismNonverbal CommunicationTransparencyIntegrityHumilityProactivityAccepting Constructive CriticismCreating and Managing ExpectationsConfidenceEmpathyCompassionUnderstandingObservationAttention to DetailVocal ToneSensitivity to Religious and Ethnic DiversitySelf-AwarenessSituational AwarenessInterpretationIdentify and Manage EmotionsUnderstanding Hidden Needs of OthersBody LanguageFacilitating Group DiscussionReaching Consensus Collaboration By employing these active listening techniques, you will impress your interviewer as a thoughtful, analytical, highly desirable candidate for the position. Think about possible situations that may occur during an interview and come up with strategies to allow you to listen actively. Improving Your Soft Skills Never underestimate the power of “soft skills” (also known as “people skills”) like active listening,  problem-solving,  flexibility, self-motivation,  leadership, and  teamwork. Your CV or resume may look great, but don’t forget to nourish your  soft skills.Especially for young, first-time job candidates with limited work experience, these people skills often are the deciding factor in whether an employer will be willing to take the risk in hiring them over others who may have more experience (but possibly weaker interpersonal communications talents). Don’t forget to highlight your soft skills in your interview (and even in your resume).