What is Active Listening and its Importance for Managers and Leaders in the Workplace?
Many would agree that active listening means listening attentively to someone who is speaking, truly understanding what they are saying, and responding without distraction so that you can retain the information.
But what’s the difference between listening and hearing? Most of us hear all the time without any effort; however, truly actively listening and retaining information is much more complex.
Active listening is also about not getting swept away by your thoughts while you are in the conversation. This is hard because the processing speed of thought is significantly faster than the speed of speech. So often, we find ourselves processing thoughts while the other person is speaking. This can cause the listener to become distracted by their thoughts and disengage from the conversation.
In fast-paced working environments, where we are more accessible than ever, and distractions are all around us via instant messaging tools, emails, and phone calls, active listening is a vital skill set to embody when managing and leading teams. It can be challenging, but it has huge benefits.
Demonstrating active listening helps colleagues feel genuinely seen and heard and makes your teams feel valued. It taps into a deep human need to feel significant and creates an inclusive environment where creativity, idea-sharing, and problem-solving are encouraged.
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), effective communication, including active listening, is crucial for workplace success. Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, decreased productivity, and lower employee morale. When it comes to workplace wellbeing, the Stevenson/Farmer review of mental health and employers found that poor communication, which includes a lack of active listening, contributes to workplace stress and potential mental health issues.
Conversely, enhancing listening skills can improve employee well-being and reduce absenteeism. Gitnux’s Active Listening Statistics And Trends report in 2023 found that managers who received training in active listening saw a 30% improvement in employee satisfaction and that active listening increased collaboration and productivity by up to 25%.
This is likely to have a knock-on effect on their teams, too. By improving managerial communication, strengthening collaboration, boosting productivity, and building stronger relationships, line reports will likely benefit, too, as they often mirror the behaviour of their managers.
The science behind active listening
Did you know the brain receives 11 million ‘bits’ of information every second in the form of sensory experiences? Of these 11 million, you can only consciously process 40 of them – according to Timothy Wilson, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia. This makes actively listening very hard.
Here are four techniques worth trying to help improve your ability to listen actively:
- Provide the speaker with your full attention – this means turning off notifications, leaving your phone or laptop elsewhere, and minimising the number of external factors that might steal your attention away from them.
- Check your body language – Are you able to maintain eye contact with the speaker, for example, or provide non-verbal cues that confirm you are attentive and listening to what they have to say, such as a nod?
- Defer your judgment – abstaining from jumping in or giving your own opinion (until asked) will help you avoid interruptions that could alter the individual’s flow or thought process, allowing them time to express their thinking fully.
- Feedback and relay – When appropriate, it is encouraging to paraphrase to the speaker what you’ve taken from what they have said to reassure them you were listening and to then ask any questions that you may feel require further clarification.
According to David Brooks, author of the book How to Know a Person, a recent study found that only 30% of people in business are natural question-askers – the rest of us are talkers. Many of us love sharing ideas and sparking conversations, but it is equally important to consider others’ experiences, too.
By adopting this approach, you are much less likely to emerge from a conversation with new insights or insights. This is a huge missed opportunity – especially for highly innovative organisations that understand the true potential of learning from one another’s life experiences.
In business, the more senior you become, the more often you get paid to know the answers and have the expertise and solutions to advise and lead the rest of the team. But curious leaders and managers not only foster greater insight and understanding, but also create better relationships and connections – which, as we know, increases trust and collaboration, driving better performance. It’s a win-win.
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