Chapter 2 of 10All chapters
Chapter 2 of 10
Listening
Harder than it sounds.
Active listening
Listen for the point rather than for your reply, then summarise it back. Being able to state someone's position to their satisfaction is the test of having understood.
- Silence after a question gives people room to say the real thing.
- Interrupting to agree still interrupts.
Underneath the words
People often state a solution rather than the problem behind it. Asking what they are trying to achieve reveals options nobody had considered.