Listening is Good Business

I love to talk. My mother reminds me of this constantly. Recently, we were watching “Cast Away” with Tom Hanks (you know, the one where he’s stuck on a desert island with no one to talk to but his trusty volleyball).

Upon pronouncing that I absolutely could not imagine being stuck on a deserted island for four years, she said, “Yes, you would go crazy without anyone else to talk to all day long.”

I laughed and pretended to be offended for sport, but she’s spot on. The downside of the fact that I love to talk often means that I’ve had a hard time with listening because I’m excited to say whatever it is I want to say.

But I’ve become vastly better at listening over the years – as a journalist and writer I simply had to do it. Often, silence is the best tool in my repertoire. People feel uncomfortable with silence and are determined to fill it, which means I get to hear more about the topic. So I make myself shut up and listen.

Listening is a critical skill to develop professionally. You have to follow direction from your boss, listen to and analyze customer feedback or problems and deal with those things. You aren’t likely to succeed if you’re not paying attention.

Complicating the issue is technology. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people having conversations when one of the participants whips out a cell phone to text or post to Facebook while the other person is speaking. Quite rude.

Here’s a hint: It looks terribly disrespectful in the middle of a business meeting.

As a quick reminder of how to be a good listener, here are 10 quick tips from Ragan Communications:

  1. Look at the person speaking to you. Maintain eye contact
  2. Watch for non-verbal clues: body language, gestures and facial expressions
  3. Eliminate all distractions. Don’t multitask
  4. Ask questions that let the other person know you heard him and want to learn more
  5. Don’t interrupt
  6. Don’t finish the other person’s sentences
  7. Avoid using words such as “no,” “but” and “however” when you respond
  8. Don’t prejudge
  9. Display a friendly, open attitude and body language
  10. Ask questions to clarify what you heard

Next time you’re in the middle of a conversation, take stock of how well you are listening and adjust where necessary. And always remember that even our most basic skills need refining and sharpening over the years.

What Tim Russert Could Teach Companies About Listening

Ronald Shaw of Shaw Marketing Partners, Inc. in Carmel recently penned a column in BizVoice articulating how businesses should truly listen to their customers. As an example, he referenced the late Tim Russert, acknowledging the "Meet the Press" host was known for his genuine approach to listening and offering thoughtful, effective follow-up questions.

Shaw advises companies to follow eight specific guidelines:

  • Listen to customers continuously. Instead of just taking the traditional “annual snapshot,” monitor your most strategic customers’ attitudes by talking to a portion of them every single month.
  • Get the big picture. Avoid getting a distorted view of a customer’s attitudes by getting feedback from individuals at various levels and within various parts of the customer organization.
  • Use a variety of listening methods. In addition to the traditional one-on-one depth interview, incorporate executive advisory board sessions, roundtable discussions, etc.
  • Don’t just talk to your own customers. Talk with prospective customers too in order to gain broader industry perspectives and get an objective view of how your organization is viewed in the broader market.
  • Ask engaging questions. In the customer feedback conversation, ask interesting, provocative questions that engage the emotions to get richer, deeper responses and more valuable insights.
  • Listen objectively without the usual built-in filters. Consider using an independent researcher to eliminate the possibility of bias and to ensure that vital insights are gained and channeled directly to company leaders.
  • Capture the exact words of your customers. Record and disseminate lots of verbatim comments so others will interpret their meaning exactly the way the interviewee intended.
  • Link employee compensation to customer attitudes. Realize that customer attitudes are leading indicators of their future behaviors. Then shape employee behavior by linking at least part of their compensation to customer attitudes.