Leadership Tip: Components of Active Listening

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being
can alter his life by altering his attitudes."
-- William James

This leadership inspiration focuses on the components of ACTIVE LISTENING. I imagine most of you have heard that term and likely practiced it before, so just think of this as a quick shot-in-the-arm refresher. I highlight active listening this month because it is a very powerful aspect of being an effective leader.

Listening to our fellow committee members and community representatives is critical to each of the League’s successes. As leaders, we need others to listen to us, and we, in turn, must listen to others, so that they know that they are valued. They will also walk away feeling pretty effective too. A win-win.
So, from my perspective, the goal of active listening is: To non-evaluatively hear what another person is saying. I encourage you to use active listening in your monthly/weekly meetings, your community involvement, your business interactions, and just about all daily encounters. (It may also come in handy in tight situations of relationships, child-rearing, parenting, etc.) So, review these components and see if you can make a difference in someone you listen to today.

CRITICAL BEHAVIORS

• Attending - Showing interest through nonverbal behavior and acknowledging responses.
• Mirroring - Accurately reflecting content and feeling in a non-judgmental way.
• Questioning - Eliciting more information or requesting clarification.
• Showing Respect - Suspending judgment or evaluation and avoiding behaviors which discredit or trivialize the conversation.
• Self-disclosure - Sharing one’s own experience.
• Problem-solving - Exploring alternatives and developing specific action steps to solve problems.
• Showing empathy - Expressing concern for the other person
• Spontaneity - Being expressive rather than contrived.
  

Some of this month’s sources include: Personal notes and content from The LeaderShape® Institute.