Hear Listen and Understand
posted on Oct 2, 2018 | 91 likes
All You Need to Communicate Better in Business
Do we really listen when people are talking to us, or we just want to hear them talk? Do you know that there is a huge difference between hearing and listening?
Simply put, hearing is the ability to hear what the other person is saying and oftentimes this is confused with listening. Most times, we assume we are listening to the other person simply because we keep quiet and allow the other person talk. We are not listening when we do not silence the internal communication within us. We are not listening when we already have a pre-taped version of what we assume the other person should say. We are not listening when we are only waiting for the other person to stop talking so that we can talk without understanding them properly.
However, listening is the ability to make meaning or sense out of what we hear and it goes beyond that. Listening goes beyond waiting for the other person to stop talking before we talk like most of us do. Listening is the essence of communication.
In business, communication is key and vital to the success and growth of the organization. As an entrepreneur, you need to communicate with like minds and team members to get the work done faster. As a CEO you need to communicate with the various levels of staff in order to achieve the various organizational goals commendably.
Communication in lay man’s term is said to be a two way circulation, but when one person talks and is not well understood, it becomes one sided, hence communication is lost. Listening therefore, allows communication to happen.
Having said that communication begins with listening, effective communication involves the following:
Effective speaking: It is very necessary for business professionals to be able to put their words together, in such a way that they are not misinterpreted by their listeners. It is also important to note that the voice tone used when speaking is likely to define how the message will be interpreted. For instance, when someone is angry, it might reflect in the tone of their voice when they speak, as they may tend to yell or shout when speaking. Hence, business professionals must be able to control the tone of their voice when necessary in order not to be ruin the communication flow. More often than not, when someone speaks out of anger, they reduce their chances of getting a positive feedback from their listeners. Hence, the essence of communication is lost.
Therefore proper articulation of the message using the right choice of words delivered with the right tone keeps communication more effective.
Cooperation: Monologue does not belong in business. Unfortunately, monologue is the only form of communication some people understand, most especially top executives in an organization. For any business to experience seamless growth, the individuals involved must collaborate with each other. Rather than yell out your orders and requests to the staff or subordinates at work, without ensuring you are well understood and not misinterpreted, it will go a long way to cooperate instead. Cooperation involves understanding one another, synergy and compromise sometimes. It means you acknowledge that a tree does not make a forest and the ideas of others are as unique as yours. When there is cooperation, staff or team members would be motivated to work, and go extra mile because you have been able to communicate effectively through cooperation.
Body Language: The phrase ‘Action speaks louder than voice’ is very true when trying to achieve an effective communication flow. Thus, it is very important for business professional to understand that, their actions says a lot before they speak and that could either send the wrong message or the right message. Eye contact, facial ex
With all these being said, it is necessary for you as a business professional to take out time to consciously practice your listening skills, be determined to cooperate with others, deliberately exercise effective speaking and be mindful of your body language, as this would help build and maintain long lasting relationship between you, colleagues, and business partners.