Communication is a two-way street.  We need to communicate information to people and solicit information from them so we can better meet their needs.

We spend about 80% of our waking day in some form of communications.  Without effective communication skills, people could not delegate, interview, solve problems or make decisions.  Yet many entrepreneurs have never been trained on how to be an effective communicator. 

There are three basic components to communicating: thinking, articulating and listening. Of these three components, listening is the most important.  There are two types of listening: active and passive.  Passive listeners are usually thinking about something else, daydreaming, jumping to conclusions or trying to do other activities while attempting to listen.  While active listening are listening to not only what is being said but how it is being said. 

A study by Professor Albert Mehrabian of UCLA found that over 90 percent of your message is conveyed not by the words but by the manner (you voice and non-verbal behavior) in which it is said .  There is more to the message than meet the ears.  Or as Peter Drucker said "The most important thing in communicating is to hear what isn't being said." 

To be an active listener you must engage your whole self into the process.  Not only by focusing on the words, but also on the person's facial expressions,  posture, voice, eyes and gestures.  The following techniques will help you actively get involved in the process: 

Internal summary - Concentrate on what is being said and try to summarize the main points in your mind.

Restate - For clarification, repeat what the person just said, using their words. 

Paraphrase - Restate what the speaker said in your own words to see if you are understanding the message.

Minimize interruptions - Don't try to take phone calls, read a report, or complete another task while someone is talking to you.

Allow for silence - Pauses may seem uncomfortable, but don't automatically interject your comments.  People may need a little time to gather their thoughts.

Ask questions - Encourage people to tell you more or force them to think through an idea by asking open ended questions.

Watch non-verbals - Look for eye contact, change in voice, facial expressions, body posture, gestures, and so forth.  Any mismatched signals could give you more insight.

Avoid prejudging - Get all the facts before you draw your conclusion.  We sometimes have a tendency to see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear. 

We have all heard the phrase "Doing more with less".  Well, one way to do this is to be more creative.  Join me next time when we explore PowerTool Number 3 - Need For Creativity.

* (C) Copyright,  "POWER TOOLS - Building Blocks for Success."   Patrick J. Donadio, MBA, CSP, MCC.   All rights reserved.