Active Listening
There's a song that goes I can't dance - so don't ask me! Well I can't dance and, by the way, I can't sing either; but as a management trainer and coach I did think I was a good listener.
We had just watched Spooks on BBC IPlayer. The main story line was freaky enough but the ending was a bit of a cliff hanger. A few minutes after the last credits rolled into the laptop's keyboard I was still contemplating whether Harry was a rotten egg or whether he had been stitched up like a kipper in an Arbroath smoke house when I heard the Voice say "........... and I'll email tomorrow"
Email who tomorrow - email what tomorrow?
It was a simple enough enquiry - or so I thought! But the Voice was on her very own MI5 style character assassination mission and the accusations came thick and fast.
"You never listen to me" "You only listen to half of what I say" "Well if you think I'm going to repeat myself ....." "And by the way you're just like....." (The list was long - don't laugh I'm sure I heard your name mentioned.)
Too tired (and Spooked out) to argue against the onslaught I considered putting up a robust defence but instantly judged this strategy to be deeply flawed and doomed to failure - those of you who know the Voice will fully understand why.
On balance I felt a swift retreat was the better part of valour but as I reached for the Daily Torygraph - behind which, on these occasions, I always think it is wise to hide - the brain snapped and the mouth opened.
"But I was listening!" I heard myself shout softly.
"Oh yeah, while I was talking you were watching Sky News reporting the bombings in Mumbai at the same time as reading the latest on the same item on BBC News online and ... (pause for small breath/large sip of wine) ... and ('and' repeated for increased dramatic effect) ... and probably still wondering if Harry is going for an early pension or not!!"
Oops!
I've been preaching for years that proper listening is an active skill that requires total engagement with the information giver, ergo the Voice.
Active listening involves blocking out all internal interference - I wonder what's for dinner tonight? - and external interference - phones, other people, passing traffic; you know the problems! - by applying total concentration to the incoming data and body language of the speaker.
We need to maintain good eye contact (bearing in mind that in some cultures this may not be appropriate) whilst at the same time nodding sagely in all the right places.
These techniques ensure the other person feels that you are listening, knows that you are listening, believes that you are listeneing.
I'm exhausted just thinking about it - no wonder I (you?) find it so hard to do.
Well, lesson learned - yet again. Just need to practice more; active listening I mean; not dancing.
Talking of which, I had better be on my toes tomorrow night. We're watching the next episode of Spooks on IPlayer and if the Voice asks a question, I better be listening - venturing the wrong answer would be like jumping in with two left feet! Anyone know a good dance teacher?
Labels: active, attention, information, listening
posted by Charles Jack : 22:47
Wednesday 5 November 2008
The importance of training in a downturn
To train or not to train
My colleagues and I passionately believe that taking care of people takes care of the business. We know we are in difficult times right now and that the instinct of the average UK plc enterprise is to cut back on, or axe completely, any spend on training. This strategy may make sense in the short term in terms of cash flow etc. but can have disastrous consequences when markets pick up and demand for high quality goods and services is back to normal or better.
Maintaining morale
There is another aspect and that is staff morale. In tough times those people who remain in leaner businesses often feel under pressure to produce or provide more with the same or less resources. They may be asked to take on additional roles or jobs – some of which they may not have been trained to do - or are competent in. This can create a huge amount of stress and unrest in a previously content workforce. Morale can plummet quickly unless staff feel supported and valued. Additionally in times of downsizing there is also the question “Who’s next?”
Support and feeling valued
Support can be as simple as giving help and guidance (and extra resources where possible) on the job and giving the opportunity to learn new skills to cope with additional (or new or unfamiliar) tasks and responsibilities. Making people feel valued can be equally as simple as listening and responding to their current issues and problems, keeping them informed of company events and – wait for it - saying “Thank you”.
Does size matter?
By the way, the same applies whether the workforce is large or a very small handful of dedicated people. Although the logistics are different, the principles are the same.
Five steps to surviving a downturn
You need a flexible motivated workforce so:
- Offer on the job support and coaching
- Review available resources – what can you re-engineer – what else can you offer at low/no cost?
- Consider short off job training courses for staff who need new skills
- Keep your workforce informed, listen to them and react to their needs
- Ensure they feel valued; recognise hard work and say thanks!
Here is the link to some information about our training courses:
http://www.gatewaytraining.net/
Labels: coaching, motivation, training
posted by Charles Jack : 19:02
About Me
I have worked in training and management development for over 25 years. I am passionate about helping people develop their businesses or organisations through developing their people. I specialise in designing and delivering Leadership and Management development strategies and, over the years, I have built up a team of professional trainers and coaches - all of whom are highly professional and great fun to work with! |
| Archives |
Subscribe to Posts [Atom] |
