Mature communicators will listen with active interest!
In order to listen with active interest, there are four key essential elements you must use to listen for complete understanding of your customer.
All these elements help ensure you hear your customer and let’s your customer know you are hearing what he or she is saying.
- Pay attention. ?Give the customer your undivided attention and acknowledge the message. Recognize that what is not said also speaks loudly.
- Show that you are listening by providing feedback. ?Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear. As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said.
- Defer judgment. ? Interrupting frustrates the customer and limits full understanding of the message.
- Respond Appropriately. ? Active listening is a model for respect and understanding. You are gaining information and perspective.
