Empathetic Listening in Business Communication
Empathetic listening is listening beyond the facts. It means paying attention to the strong emotional background of an issue and personalities involved. Empathetic listening, also referred to as active listening, can be particularly beneficial in mediations and negotiations in the workplace. This is not a technique to be used when giving a presentation. It may be challenging to empathetically listen if multiple people are talking. “Empathetic listening
concentrates on the feelings or attitudes of the speaker rather than on the message, and is employed to discover the feelings of the speaker, such as during a therapy session or when listening to a friend’s problems. (O’hair, Friedrich, & Dixon, 2010) Listening builds mutual understanding and trust by allowing people to share emotions. Listening actively allows the listener to receive and accurately interpret the speaker’s message. Empathetic
listening is principally useful when the speaker wants to vent or air a grievance. In these cases the listener’s role is only to listen while the speaker relieves tension. Some mistakenly take this as an opportunity to share similar experiences and chime in to give advice. The role of listener in this case is the most important role in the conversation. By listening empathetically the listener shows them that the environment is safe to share
The more empathetic listening is done in the workplace the more information will be shared. This is an excellent tool to encourage teambuilding and collaboration. “Even when conflict is not resolved, the listening process can have a profound effect on both parties.” (www.beyondattractability.com) the simple act of showing others you care about what they are saying builds relationships
Posted by Rasheem on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019 @ 8:33AM
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