Truth 28. Hearing isn’t listening

Many a manager hears very well but doesn’t listen. Confused? Let me explain. Hearing is merely picking up sound vibrations. Listening is making sense out of what we hear. That is, listening requires paying attention, interpreting, and remembering sound stimuli.

Effective listening is active rather than passive. In passive listening, you’re like a recorder. You absorb the information given. Active listening, in contrast, requires you to “get inside” the speaker’s head so that you can understand the communication from her point of view. As an active listener, you try to understand what the speaker wants to communicate rather than what you want to understand. You also demonstrate acceptance of what is being said. You listen objectively without judging content. Finally, as an active listener, you take responsibility for completeness. You do whatever is necessary to get the fully intended meaning from the speaker’s communication.