Are You Listening?
Are you listening, really listening? Knowing that the human
brain can process information four times as fast as the mouth
can speak; listening becomes a skill that requires attention and
practice, and a skill that is essential to all Call Center
employees. We listen to gather facts, form opinions, make
decisions and lend support. We listen to get a response, clarity
about a task, or to improve communication. Being a good listener
means focusing, while using control and concentration to review
critical data. So how do we become effective listeners?
Levels of Listening
In order to improve our listening abilities, we need to
understand that there are different levels of listening.
Depending on how engaged we become with the sounds and
information around us, we use different levels of listening.
The first level of listening is the act of hearing, which is a
physical function. Our ears pick up the ambient noises in the
environment and our brain filters out those things that are
unrelated to our mind's work. Be quiet for just a moment and
identify what you hear. Did you hear the heater or air
conditioning kicking on or off, your computer hard drive
processing, the low murmur of conversations happening around
you, the muffled sounds of the world outside your window? Our
bodies automatically pick up those sounds and process them, but
the sounds don't really penetrate into our awareness until we
stop to pay attention to them.
The second level of listening is passive listening. Passive
listening involves paying attention to what someone is saying
while subconsciously processing ideas from another source. In
passive listening, you may be trying to ingest what you are
actually listening to as your brain takes in other sounds or
things that are happening around you. Imagine you are at the
movie theatre and the people in front of you are talking. This
makes you have to split your attention between the movie, which
is why you are there, and the distraction of the people
speaking. This is passive listening.
The third level of listening is called active listening. Active
listening means being fully engaged in both hearing the message
and processing the information. You are focused on source and
may be contemplating a response. In active listening, you listen
with your body and your face, making gestures and impressions
that allow the source to know that they are your focal point.
Active listening means to be fully engaged in the listening
process.
How do you practice active listening?
There are several things you can do to practice active
listening. By applying these suggestions you will improve your
listening skills.
* Concentrate on what the other person says
* Acknowledge what they say with verbal clues such as, "uh-huh",
"ok", "I see"
* Respond with your face and body, using nonverbal clues such as
leaning forward, nodding you head, or through a facial expression
* Take notes, but do not focus all your attention on the note
taking
* Alleviate the opportunity for distractions
* Avoid assumptions
* Ask questions for understanding or to clarify their position
* Don't interrupt; give the other person time to complete their
thoughts
What are the benefits of active listening?
A recent study found that 80% of responding executives rated
listening as the most important skill in the workplace, while
28% rated listening as the skill most lacking in the workplace.
By practicing active listening you can increase communication,
lessen confusion, throughout the company, with employees,
customers, and shareholders.
By putting active listening into practice you will become more
comfortable communicating with people and find yourself applying
active listening to more of your everyday interactions. Go get
active, and listen, really listen.