Tag active listening

If you are an entrepreneur, you know about the importance of communication. You communicate daily with your clients and your team members, probably weekly or biweekly with your providers and monthly with your investors.

But let me ask you: how good are you at it?

No, really. I’m not talking about mastering persuasion techniques, knowing it all about influence and have all the rules for guaranteed engagement.

I’m talking about the basics of any communication!

Let me ask you:

• Can you clearly convey your message, or do you struggle with it?
• Do you pause and give yourself time to listen and fully comprehend what the other person is saying?
• Do you dedicate enough time to create the space and time that each conversation needs?
• Are you aware of the fact that communication goes beyond words?
• Do you devote yourself entirely to it, or do you usually pay half attention while doing other things?

 

The truth is our communications are filled with all sorts of problems: misunderstandings, interruptions, things we don’t say, but we would need to, things we say but not precisely in the best ways or with the best timing.

Yet, we don’t think about it too much until a problem arises – when some noise disturbs the communication.

Usually, this happens when

• the person we are talking to doesn’t understand what we are saying or asking
• we don’t find the right words to express an idea
• we want to talk, and the other person keeps interrupting
• somebody is saying something with their “mouth”, but the message “feels” totally different, probably because their body language is conveying the opposite message
• we are hijacked by our emotions, and instead of responding, we react.

 

So, how do we find a solution?

 

 

Well, we will need to develop 3 groups of fundamental skills:

• Awareness (of the present moment) and Active Listening (how to listen effectively)

• Focus (what to say /what are the others saying) and Feedback 

• Boundaries and Timing (when to say what you have to say)

 

Let’s not forget that communication is always a process; it is not something static.

It involves a sender, a receiver, a message and everything in between.

It involves two or more people, one or more spoken languages, one or more body languages, one or more ideas, one or more channels, and it is affected by other factors such as culture, location, etc.

 

So, why do we fail to communicate as senders and receivers?

Well, because we are human, and feelings and emotions fully pervade our communication.

Acknowledging that is the first step.

Then, we can begin to improve our communication.

 

 

I hope this post helps you to reflect a little bit about this crucial part of our daily entrepreneurial work, a part we all need to keep working on.

 

 

Leading with empathy makes the whole difference. In this article, we already discussed the meaning of empathy, the difference between cognitive, emotional and compassionate empathies and the role they each play in workplace dynamics, forming an essential part of any successful business.

 

Now, having acknowledged that empathy plays such a fundamental role that it might even define the course of the enterprise itself, it’s time to dig deeper, learn how to apply it and also, how to improve it.

A lot has been said already about its implementation, but the truth is that there is still a long way to go.

Most corporations still struggle to understand the real value of empathy which, ultimately, should be at the core of any company culture.

Why?

Well, leading with empathy is not easy. Firstly, because it relates to ethics and secondly, because it works in favour of the company, bringing loyalty, productivity, and benefits.

Instead of beginning a real implementation project (like regular meetings and seminars to learn and discuss the topic and decide the best course of action, or getting a consultant in to facilitate the changes), employers are finding more and more employees resigning on a daily basis as a consequence of “false empathy”, or the pretence of an empathetic approach.

Not to mention the high cost of losing clients, which is another flagrant example of the lack of empathy in any business.

So, how does a company take the big step and begin a serious and long-lasting transformation? 

 

The first step towards leading with empathy should be to acknowledge the lack of an empathetic culture and the second is to also acknowledge the need to create one at the heart of the company.

Once these two primordial steps are completed, the company can move forward and begin the process.

 

Here are some ideas that can be implemented across a corporation by each and everyone in it. These strategies/new behaviours will change the face – and the heart – of your company:

 

• Pay close attention to your clients’ needs and requirements

• Improve timing and quality in the delivery of goods or services, according to your clients’ needs

• Make meaningful and long-lasting connections with key members in the organisation

• Be able to solve difficulties or help others with hindrances, in time

• Create bonds and connections that will form the basis for future loyalty

• Create (physical) space and time for those connections to flourish

• Open the doors to innovation based on trust and respect

 

But there is more: what else you can do to lead with empathy, right now?

Well, you can:

• Show gratitude: say thank you more often, appreciate the time and effort that others invest in you, your product and your service. Give credit for the things well done. Being grateful not only creates bonds but also shows respect and dignity

• Prove you listen and care: practice active listening which can restore confidence and help build loyalty. A high percentage of employees, as well as customers, feel their opinion doesn’t matter. Make yourself available: create surveys, ask direct questions, handle 1-to-1 meetings, be sure that your customer service is providing the necessary assistance

• Share stories with a positive outlook, whenever you can but especially before beginning a meeting. Sharing creates a bond and helps to set an ambiance of collaboration, willingness, openness and receptiveness

• Listen to your co-workers and team members. Make some extra time to give others the opportunity to share. Make room, physically and emotionally, for the others’ experiences. Let people talk and listen to their stories.

 

And…there is even more you can do!

• Give constructive feedback. If you find yourself having to give negative feedback, walk the extra mile in the shoes of your employee and try to create a constructive atmosphere. With the right words, you will reinforce your employee’s confidence instead of making them feel demotivated. This will open the doors to change and improvement

• Pay real attention to your customers. If you understand their needs and learn to decode them, you will be able to point the company in the right direction, also giving it the chance to be open to creativity and innovation.

 

Interested in developing these skills, improving your career and contribute to an empathetic culture in your company?

Book your Free Discovery Session here

 

Book your Free Discovery Session

 

 

(A similar post was previously published on Chery McMillan website).