Listening- IN THE WORKPLACE

Imagine you are a business owner hiring some new employees. What types of skills would you be looking for? I bet 10 times out of ten that one of those skills would be listening. The Conference Board of Canada concurs that listening is a critical employee and management skill. And why shouldn’t it be? After all, communication is no longer what it used to be. Workers are in constant communication— thanks to the Internet, team environments, global competition, and prominence of customer service. Thus, it really is no surprise that high quality communication is a vital component in every successful workplace. Toss in the fact that three quarters of high quality communication comprises of listening— you bet having good listening skills is definitely an asset we (i.e. people in the work force) should strive to enhance!

If you want career success, or organization effectiveness, or worker satisfaction, or perhaps you want all three— then you better improve those listening skills! Studies and experts report that good listeners make for better managers, and advance at a faster pace in their organizations. Why is it so important? Let’s look at it this way, workers spend 30 to 45% of their communication time listening, and executives spend 60 to 70%!

So, why do workers spend less time listening than executives? Find out soon when I discuss types of workplace listening. Until then, listen with intent-- its one of your keys to success!