Today is World Listening Day which was established in 2010 by the World Listening Project.
Active listening is a powerful tool that can be neglected every day even though we spend most of our time in communication – with the greatest portion of that devoted to listening.
Did you know that…
- The average business executive spends about 75% of their time communicating – and 45% of that is listening. Surprisingly, only 35% of businesses list listening as an important skillset to have.
- 85% of what we have learned, we have acquired through listening
- Finally, 55% of the meaning in our words is derived from facial expressions, 38% in how the words are said and 7% in the actual words spoken.
However, what is amazing is that less than 2% of us have had any formal education on how to listen.
Ask yourself these questions:
Do you find yourself…
- Thinking about something else when someone is talking to you?
- Finishing other people’s sentences for them?
- Filling a silence in a conversation?
If you are someone who thinks you’re a good listener because you just hear the words someone is saying to you – you might want to think about adjusting your approach. I urge you to look beneath the words that are being spoken. You need to hear the ‘music behind the words’ which means you have to listen to not only what is said, but also to what has not been said. Empathize and understand from someone else’s perspective. You never know when you will need the same in return.
The good news is that anyone can be trained to be a good listener. From the CEO right through the entire organisation. Being able to actively listen will put you in a far stronger position to influence, persuade and even manage those sensitive conversations.
Listening is a skill that can be taught so this is why we have made this process really easy for you.
Would you like to improve your listening skills? One click will start the journey for you.
