Improving active listening skills for more effective supervision
Abstract
Communication is one of the most important elements in successful supervision of staff, volunteers and members. When clarifying expectations, understanding feedback, participating in meetings, coaching, mentoring, or mediating conflict, good listening skills are a must! This effective practice, excerpted from Becoming a Better Senior Corps Supervisor: A Resource Guide for Senior Corps Project Directors, by the National Crime Prevention Council and published by the Corporation for National and Community Service (1996), offers 25 tips to improve active listening skills. Although written for Senior Corps supervisors, the information is appropriate to supervisors across all streams of service, and can benefit both new and experienced supervisors.
Issue
One of the most critical communication skills for supervisors is active listening. Active listening helps the listener to "hear the emotion and affirm the person." It includes the concepts of attending, paraphrasing, reflecting feeling and reflecting meaning. Active listening includes listening with the body, eyes, ears and instincts, and temporarily suspending judgment.Action
According to the National Crime Prevention Council's resource guide, Becoming a Better Senior Corps Supervisor: A Resource Guide for Senior Corps Project Directors, the following effective practices will cultivate and/or improve active listening skills:- Find a quiet, private place to listen. Hallways, shared offices, and other busy places are not conducive to active listening. A quiet spot works better for focusing attention and creating a nonthreatening environment.
- Want to listen. Almost all problems in listening can be overcome by having the right attitudes. Remember, there is no such thing as uninteresting people, only uninterested listeners.
- Act like a good listener. Be alert, sit straight, lean forward if that's appropriate; let your face radiate interest.
- Listen to understand. Do not just listen for the sake of listening; listen to gain a real understanding of what is being said.
- React. The only time a person likes to be interrupted is when he or she is applauded. Make the other person feel important. Applaud with nods, smiles, comments and encouragement.
- Stop talking. You can't listen while you are talking. Communicate -- don't just take turns talking.
- Empathize. Try to put yourself in the other person's place so that you can see his or her point of view.
- Concentrate on what the other is saying. Actively focus your attention on the words, the ideas, and the feelings related to the subject.
- Look at the other person. Face, mouth, eyes and hands will all help the other person communicate with you and help you concentrate too -- show you are listening.
- Smile appropriately. But don't overdue it.
- Leave your emotions behind (if you can). Try to push your worries, fears and problems away. They may prevent you from listening well.
- Get rid of distractions. Put down any paper, pencils or anything you may have in your hands; they may distract your attention.
- Get the main points (the big story). Concentrate on the main ideas and not on the illustrative material. Examples, stories, and statistics are important but are not usually the main points. Examine them only to see if they prove, support or define the main idea.
- Share responsibility for communication. Only part of the responsibility rests with the speaker; you as the listener have an important part. Try to understand; if you don't, ask for clarification.
- React to ideas, not to the person. Don't allow your reaction to the person to affect your interpretation of words. Good ideas can come from people whose looks or personality you don't like.
- Don't argue mentally. When you are trying to understand the other person, it is a handicap to argue mentally while you are listening. It sets up a barrier between you and the speaker.
- Use the difference between the speed at which you can listen and the speed at which a person can talk. You can listen faster than anyone can talk. Human speech is about 100 to 150 words per minute; thinking is about 500. Use this rate difference to your advantage by trying to stay on the right track, and think back over what the speaker has said.
- Don't antagonize the speaker. You may cause the other person to conceal ideas, emotions, and attitudes in many ways: arguing, criticizing, taking notes, not taking notes, asking questions, not asking questions. Try to judge and be aware of the effect you are having on the other person. Adapt to the speaker.
- Avoid hasty judgments. Wait until all the facts are in.
- Develop the attitude that listening is fun! Make a game of seeing how well you can listen.
- Put the speaker at ease. Help him or her feel free to talk.
- Be patient. Allow plenty of time. Do not interrupt. Avoid heading for the door.
- Hold your temper. An angry person gets the wrong meaning from words.
- Go easy on argument and criticism. This puts others on the defensive and they may "clam up" or get angry. Don't argue: even if you win, you lose.
- Ask pertinent questions. This is encouraging, shows you are listening, helps to develop points further, and is essential for clarification.
Context
Through in-depth work with service programs, the National Crime Prevention Council sought to identify the essential characteristics that effective community programs share. They found that a significant factor in successful service programs is the presence of a skilled and committed supervisor.
The Resource Guide was developed from a comprehensive needs assessment, including focus group discussions, site visits and interviews with supervisors of Corporation funded programs; views of national service supervisors who participated in supervisory skills workshops; and literature of respected specialists in the fields of supervision, management, and community participation.
Citation
Becoming a Better Senior Corps Supervisor: A Resource Guide for Senior Corps Project Directors, by the National Crime Prevention Council and published by the Corporation for National and Community Service (1996), was developed by the National Crime Prevention Council's National Service Training and Technical Assistance Project and is based upon work funded by the Corporation for National Service under Cooperative Agreement No. CA95-30.Outcome
Although the skills of active listening may seem awkward or forced at first, with practice they will feel more natural. Active listening, if practiced faithfully, will generate attitudes of tolerance, understanding, and nonevaluative acceptance of the other.Posted On
January 20, 2005For More Information