From an early age we are taught how to present and to speak better—whether it be debate classes in high school, or Toastmasters sessions as adults, there is a big emphasis in our professional world to be better communicators.

However, the art of communication indeed requires both the sending and receiving of information, and when was the last time we learned how to listen better?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, communication is defined as a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.

The importance of listening skills in our post pandemic, remote, digital world is even more important as teams are dispersed across different time zones.

Artisan Creative has been remote for 11 years— and as a remote team we continually work on becoming better communicators with one another, as well as with our clients and candidates.

In fact, Clear and Open Communication as well as Building Trusted Relationships are two of our core values. And, for us embodying listening best practices in  all forms of communication is paramount to embracing our core values.

Last month, the Artisan Creative team read the book “You Are Not Listening: What you are missing and Why it matters” by Kate Murphy. Her studies reinforce and support our efforts as a team to continue to learn, grow and improve together.  Several of our team members are members of Toastmasters to seek new ways to communicate better as well as utilize improved listening techniques and communication skills in our internal and external processes.

The author explores quite a few fascinating studies on listening. Specifically, that 55% of communication is non-verbal.  55%!  And that 38% of that nonverbal communication is communicated in our tone of voice.

What are we missing in that 55% when we can’t see or hear the recipient? What are we missing without seeing people and noticing expressions, body language and gestures? What happens when we don’t hear intonations and tone?

Digital communication has incredible benefits, there is no disputing how it has allowed for immediate connection, the ability to have remote teams, and to expand productivity and immediacy of action.

What is the potential impact of non-verbal digital communication (Slack, WhatsApp, email and social media) on culture, morale and connection?

It’s important to set parameters to determine the type of conversations we need to have and which conversations are okay via Slack; which require a phone call, and when is it best to hop on Zoom.   On our team, we avoid long-winded texts/slacks to explain something—we set up a video call, pick up the phone, send a voice memo, or better still, record a Loom video as needed.

How are you incorporating more connection and listening in your digital communication? Please comment below.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our 601st a.blog.

In this age of Video interviews, Zoom team meetings, and online collaboration, one key aspect of clear communication is listening.

Having a good conversation requires mastering the art of speaking and listening. As adults, we have plenty of chances to perfect our speaking skills. We can enroll in Toastmasters groups, debate classes, drama classes, and speech lessons.

What about perfecting our listening skills? When do we practice this skill that is as important as talking when we are having a conversation? Are we listening to understand, or listening to fix? Are we listening to connect, or listening to correct?

Oscar Trimboli, in his award-winning podcast, Deep Listening, says only 2% of leaders have ever received any training on how to listen, even though they spend 64% to 83% of their day listening!

So let’s start practicing some techniques to become better listeners.  Listed below are three things we can start doing right away:

Being Present

Listening with our entire body—not just our ears.

Keeping our minds quiet and focused.

Making eye contact and giving the speaker our complete attention.

Pausing

When asking a question, we can sit back and allow the speaker to collect their thoughts. Let’s get comfortable with being uncomfortable in silence. And if you are the one answering, when you’re finished, let there be silence. You don’t need to jump in with more if your answer was complete and well-prepared.

In an interview, this allows a candidate to fill that silence and give a hiring manager more insight into their personality, skills, and accomplishments.

The time to gather our thoughts and answer a question is after it’s posed if you were listening properly—not while the question was being asked. We often start planning our reply, even before the question has completely finished. When this happens, we have in fact stopped listening and moved into the reply, problem-solving, or rebuttal mode.

Too often, we make assumptions about the question, mishear the question or interpret the person’s reasoning and intentions for asking a question.

Repeat & Rephrase

Before responding, make sure we understand what has been said.

We can do this by repeating the speaker’s key points and restating them in our own words. This will give the person an opportunity to clarify or add more information. This way, we can be certain we understand the other person’s point.

Before offering a rebuttal, ask a thoughtful, open-ended question to clear up any lingering misconceptions. This can open a productive conversation and lead to an impactful conversation.

To get a better idea of your own listening type, take Trimboli’s quiz to discover your listening type.

https://www.oscartrimboli.com/listeningquiz/

What is your listener type?

We hope you’ve enjoyed our 596th a.blog.