The Importance of Active Listening | Effective Listening Skills Training | Sales Training Philippine
Active listening means showing the person who is speaking to you that he or she has your full attention.
Remove Distractions
In order to listen, you should remove as many distractions as possible. Cut off your cell phone or computer screen. Show that you are not distracted.
Take Notes
Have a notepad or white board available. Taking notes shows you are actively listening. Try boiling down each point into a few words that capture the thought. Writing it so the prospect can see will let her know you have it.
Have you ever had someone finish your sentences before you do? It comes from either impatience or a powerful urge to get our thoughts out of our head, lest we forget them. Rather than jump on someone else’s train of thought, it is better to jot your thought down. That way you won’t lose your thought either and you can focus on active listening.
Restate and Prompt
Periodically restate what your client is saying as you are capturing the words. Ask for explanation and clarification. A good question to have available at all times is, “How do you mean?” Asking this question will encourage the client to talk at a deeper level.
Acknowledge that You’re Listening
Active listening includes responding so your client knows you are listening. Phrases like, “I see,” “uh huh,” or “that’s interesting” all let the other person know you are in tune. Be careful. Using these inappropriately shows your client that you are pretending to listen. Pretending is one of the quickest ways to break trust with people.
Conclusion
When talking with another person, most people have a limited capacity to remember things. If your client has five things, he wants to talk to you about, let him talk through them once before you begin probing any of the issues. Otherwise, the memory capacity may become overloaded and you may miss “The Key Issue.” Often “The Key Issue,” that one major, emotional problem your client has, will not come out as the first item.
