Listen so that others will speak

Dr Emily Beausoleil of Massey University at a recent talk asked the Wellington branch of Human Resources Institute of New Zealand; What can you do differently to listen so that others will talk about what is important to them?



Listening is a potent force, she said, it’s much more powerful than you might imagine. There is something especially human that occurs when one person truly listens to another. Even in a busy work situation good listening constitutes an encounter where one person meets another.
What can you do to listen so that others will speak?

The quality of your listening will determine what people say to you.

Your listening will influence the stories they tell and the words they use.

Good listening requires the right attitude, which is conveyed through word, tone of voice, body language and giving full attention to the person who is speaking. Perhaps one of the most powerful things you can do as a listener is to hear what people say and accept them without judgement or criticism. This does not mean to say that you won’t have a robust conversation about the topic, but it does mean that first you will let in what they have said and acknowledge that this is an idea they have or it is something that concerns them.
See other posts on listening and you will pick up some useful ideas that will make you a better listener and encourage others to say the things that you need to hear.
“There is no such thing as the voiceless. There are only deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.” Arundhati Roy.