Communication is an umbrella term for several different elements which create a whole. Without all of those elements, your communication skills will lack clarity and quality.
Within a busy workplace, effective communication skills are more vital than anywhere else. It’s extremely easy to misunderstand a colleague and say the wrong thing to a customer; both situations could have very serious consequences for not only morale within the contemporary office but for the business itself, especially if that customer chooses to complain or simply refuses to do business with your company anymore.
One element of communication which many people overlook, perhaps because it doesn’t involve speaking, is listening.
Now, there is listening as in hearing words, and there’s listening as in actually looking for nonverbal communication cues and putting the whole puzzle together to create a full picture.
Check out this infographic which talks about the key differences between passive listening (just hearing words) and active listening.
Source - http://3plusinternational.com/2016/02/better-communication-with-listening-skills-infographic/
Now you can see the differences, let’s check out 4 main reasons why listening is far from just hearing words.
- People often say things they don’t mean or hide their real meaning - Sometimes people lie deliberately when they’re speaking or they simply hide the truth because they don’t want to talk about the issue. A good example of this is ‘I’m fine’ just to get rid of the question, who you’re really not fine. Active listening means putting non-verbal cues together with words and finding out the real meaning, reading between the lines.
- Reading body language gives you more information - Active listening is about watching too. In this case you’re watching their body language as they speak and you’re working out whether their body language is in line with what they’re saying. Again, this can help to give you the real meaning.
- You build up a bond of trust when you listen and show that you’re listening - When you nod along, make eye contact, and make noises that show you're listening, the other person is more likely to open up to you more and they will trust you as a result. This is important within a workplace and when dealing with customers especially.
- You don’t miss the small details - Listening means you pick up on the small things, such as a change of tone, the types of language being used, and the speed of speech. There is a lot of information hidden in these small details!
When you’re sitting at your office desk all day long it’s easy to just get on with your work and drown out the chatter around you. However, by doing that you’re not present in the moment and you’re also likely to be missing a lot of information. A good communicator knows that communication is as much about verbal words as listening to what is being said and the body language someone is exhibiting. By learning to put all of this together, you will improve your communication skills, both inside the workplace and outside.