Most people describe a great listener as someone who is like a sponge and accurately absorbs what you are saying, Instead, the authors have found that good listeners are like trampolines. They are someone you can bounce ideas off of. Rather than absorbing your ideas and energy, they amplify, energize and clarify your thinking.
Source: Harvard Business Review, July 2016. Link . Data from research to determine what characteristics colleagues identify as the behaviors that make outstanding listeners there were four main findings:
- Good listening is much more than being silent while the other person talks
- Good listening included interactions that build a person’s self-esteem
- Good listening was seen as a cooperative conversation
- Good listeners tended to make suggestions
Also see: Practicing narrative medicine; diagnostic listening, Animal Health Digest, September 24, 2019. Link [ä]
INSIGHTS: One must get out of our own way to listen effectively.