Loyalty

Integrating the Empathic Listening techniques into your conversation and daily situations is something that takes practice. Here are some great Do’s and Don’ts to help in increasing your effective listening skills.

10 Do’s of Listening

1)      Be patient

2)      Take brief notes of key points

3)      Offer verbal encouragement

4)      Read between the lines for emotional messages

5)      Allow for periods of silence

6)      Let the person complete his/her thought

7)      Ask questions to clarify understanding

8)      Choose to understand the person by looking for their feelings and good intentions

9)      Summarize what has been covered

10)  Assume you have not understood everything correctly

10 Don’ts of Listening

1)      Don’t half listen, filter or selectively listen

2)      Don’t make assumptions regarding what the person meant to say

3)      Don’t jump to conclusions

4)      Don’t be too eager to talk about your recommendation

5)      Don’t agree too readily until you have heard the individual out

6)      Don’t interrupt the person

7)      Don’t finish the person’s sentences

8)      Don’t take so many notes that you lose the meaning of the dialogue

9)      Don’t judge the other person

10)  Don’t complete other tasks while you are listening to the person on the phone or in person

Remember:

“A good listener tries to understand thoroughly what the other person is saying.  In the end he may disagree sharply, but before he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is he is disagreeing with.”

~ Kenneth A. Wells

Dianne Durkin is president and founder of Loyalty Factor, a specialized consulting and training company that enhances employee, customer and brand loyalty for some of the nation’s most prominent corporations and many smaller businesses. Dianne’s proven expertise lies in helping companies quickly get to the core issues and outlining their impact on the organization’s profits, productivity and people.  www.loyaltyfactor.com