How to employ good listening skills in your business

When listening to someone speaking 100 words a minute while your brain could be taking in 600 words a minute, your mind may wander. The difference between the two speeds is called lag time. Good listening and a productive use of lag time including evaluating what is being said and processing the information as well as observing non-verbals and acting interested. In normal communication, the words used or the content accounts for only 7% of what is conveyed. Tone of voice and gestures amount to 38% and facial expressions alone account for an astonishing 55%.

Because a total of 93% of what is communicated is done without words, understanding non-verbal communication is probably more important than any other listening skill. Paraphrasing is a method of responding to the content and meaning of what another has said. Through paraphrasing, the listener clarifies the statement for accuracy and lets the other person know they've been heard e.g. "From what i'm hearing, I think you are saying...” Six powerful listening rules: maintain good eye contact, sit attentively, act interested in what you hear, sprinkle your attentive listening with appropriate phrases to show interest and understanding e.g. 'I agree', ask well phrased questions and listen a little longer.