Blogs
Leveraging Effective Listening: A Guide for Leaders
Most agree that good communication is a cornerstone of successful leadership. Most might also think good communication means excellence in writing and speaking. And most would be half wrong.
At Xapa, we emphasize that half of good communication is the often-forgotten art of listening. For example, in the Xperience “The Five Levels of Listening,” Dr. Neha Sangwan ranks five distinct grades of listening to help you understand and better practice this vital skill.
The Five Levels of Listening
- Closed Listening isn’t really listening at all because you’re busy predicting what they plan to say, or you don’t agree with what you’re hearing so you don’t listen.
- Head Listening is very limited listening because you’re primarily focused on your own thoughts and what you want to say when they stop talking.
- Ears-Only Listening is listening, but concentrating solely on spoken words and facts.
- Heart Listening is listening highly attuned to the underlying emotions behind the words.
- Open Listening is the most potent listening, grasping the values driving the speaker’s feelings while hearing what’s between the lines of what is being said.
Then, too, there’s the Zero Level of Listening, which is when you ask the kids to unload the dishwasher and don’t even get a grunt in response to your presence.
How We Listen
Often, the key to collaboration, or making the sale or resolving disputes, lies in our ability to listen. Many of us are unaware of our own shortcomings in this area, instead intent on selling our ideas, sounding impressive or critiquing others at the expense of truly listening. To foster a work environment that honors respect and understanding, we should first close our mouths and open our ears.
Building the Xabit of Listening
Here are some action steps to fine-tune your listening skills.
- Ask colleagues or loved ones for candid feedback about your listening skills. Be open to what they say. It’ll help you decode which of the Five Levels of Listening you typically engage in. Then you can practice improvement.
- Tune into the nuance behind what’s being said. Take a guess by saying, “I can see this is important to you. Are you feeling…?” Then listen to their agreement or correction of your guess to pinpoint the emotions they’re feeling and why.
- Eliminate distractions during conversations. Focus entirely on the speaker, using eye contact, body language and facial expression to show engagement.
- Be grateful. Express appreciation for the speaker’s input. Validate their feelings and perspectives, even if you don’t necessarily agree with them.
Experience It for Yourself
Practice Level 5 Open Listening for a whole day and note how your conversations change. Refine it over a week, then a month, and watch your relationships change.
To better assess and build your listening skills, finish the “Five Levels of Listening” self-assessment and Xperience in the Xapa World mobile app.
Effective listening helps us all build a better and more joyful world, one person at a time. That’s Xapa’s mission. Send us your feedback! We want to hear your stories.
