Are you listening?

As leaders and managers, we intuitively know the importance of listening. Yet most people can struggle with this skill, as listening can be at a superficial level when time is not taken to truly understand what is being said.

Within coaching, listening is a critical part of helping people to change. Through listening well, people will feel heard, seen and understood. This creates the necessary conditions for change and leads to empowered people keen to take ownership of problems.

The goal for listening should be a generative conversation where two people are in resonance. From this place, new insights can emerge, creativity is sparked, and a renewed energy for change is present.

Tips on how to listen better

• Aim to build rapport by staying relaxed and curious about the person in front of you.

• Ask more questions and listen to the answer. A great way to show listening is to repeat back what you heard in your own words. The aim is not to paraphrase but create your version of what the other person has said. From this place, new insights can emerge.

• Leave space for silence. Don’t try to fill silences with words.

When done well, listening is an incredibly powerful way to help people feel supported and respected. It can lead to profound shifts in culture for you, your leaders, and your organisation.