5 easy ways to become a better listener

A few months ago, I wrote about a habit that I’ve incorporated into my personal and agency life called clearing listening. The piece is about listening as an active practice, which requires a critical shift in behavior and an ability to silence one’s own desire to respond, retort, and rebut.

To be honest, I wasn’t surprised by the strong, positive reaction it received, nor the messages and comments it generated. In a world where words and images proliferate across every channel, mastering silence is the only communications frontier we have left. For that reason alone, it deserves our attention. 

Pioneers in meditation and the practice of non-verbal listening and active silence have been helping people achieve this for hundreds of years. However, there’s a very real, prescient opportunity for the corporate space to embrace these practices for the first time—and to do so with intentionality and purpose. Why am I so sure? Because it’s something I do with clients and colleagues.

These tactics require limited material resources beyond a willingness to try something new that may at first seem contrary to the conditions of the modern workplace (mainly, over-communicating, talking as a form of working, and meetings as a way of life).

I’ve outlined five practices here which can help you better grasp—and ideally master—the art of active listening and elevate your workplace communication at the same time. 

Reminders

In the world of motivational posters, screensavers, and merch, perhaps there’s value in reminding people to listen. A simple sticky note on a laptop is the easiest way, such as: Don’t forget to breathe, Receive what people are saying, or simply, Listen more. This may seem trite, but it’s been proven that reminders light up our brains and eventually turn into habits.

Two-sentence responses

Internal meetings with familiar colleagues or clients are a great opportunity to practice listening and silence, and making room for others to speak. Not saying anything at all may not be an option, so practicing responding to people’s questions and comments with two-sentence responses is a good opportunity to make a meaningful impact with your words and provide more space in a meeting for others.

This also prevents people from dominating group discussions and creates a more inclusive environment for all. Hard to do—so many of us tend toward a run-on explanation, so zeroing in on your words is incredibly important. Choose wisely. Be thoughtful. Don’t say more than you need to. Don’t take up too much space.

Partnered listening sessions

A wonderful opportunity for colleagues from diverse backgrounds to get to know each other may not be a standard in-person coffee or virtual check-in. Instead, set up a series of 10-minute meetings. Alternate who asks a question and who responds. The person who is asking a question can only listen and nod. At the end of the session, they simply say thank you and take a few minutes to think about what the person has shared.

Another opportunity for colleagues to get to know each other requires using a series of images to share a life story with limited captions to describe what they are (PechaKucha is a wonderful technique to utilize here.) The focus is on narration that creates space, as opposed to immediate feedback or rambling.

Room for listening

We’ve all been in meetings with information overload, and there is a tendency to force a response or action plan at the end of the meeting. Some may even pre-plan their closing or pin down their action items before others have been able to weigh in. This feels like the active or dedicated thing to do in a work setting, but giving people a few quiet minutes to reflect on what they’ve heard can lead to more meaningful actions and outcomes. Try a 60-minute meeting broken into 40 minutes of sharing/talking, 10 minutes of quiet/solo reflection, and 10 minutes of response.  

Listening circles

When it comes to talking about important topics in the workplace, from how to create an inclusionary culture to supporting caregivers, listening circles remain a powerful tool. Asking a person to moderate the circle to ensure seamless transition between people talking is essential.

This is also an excellent opportunity to bring in guests to talk about their lived experiences, businesses, or passions to a group of people there to only listen. You heard that right: The audience’s only role is to listen, absorb, observe. Questions can be submitted via chat, but the point of the moment is to be present.

It also serves as an excellent reminder that great ideas don’t always stem from collaboration; they can also come from quiet contemplation.

I have seen the benefits of applying active listening to my day-to-day work, in my interactions with my colleagues and clients, and envision a future in which listening is simply part of organizational culture. 

Taken together, these practices can help individuals and organizations alike discover and utilize a powerful and underused practice—listening—toward creating increased productivity, purpose, and connection. Arguably, these are three things we could all do with more of.

Dipti Bramhandkar is the executive strategy director, North America at Iris.