Listening is key to effective communication.
In teams, failing to listen to one another is a common cause of conflict and other difficulties.
Team and group settings place different demands on the listener, because we are not responding directly to the speaker, as we would do in interpersonal situations.
In order to listen effectively, people must select and process the information they receive. This involves filtering out other stimuli and distractions.
Teams cannot achieve high performance unless all members actively listen to one another.
It helps to understand different listening styles – our preferred ways of making sense of the messages we hear.
Researchers have identified four distinct listening styles – people-oriented, action-oriented, content-oriented and time-oriented.
Once we are aware of these different styles, we can begin to identify which messages might draw our attention, as well as devising strategies for listening in ways which do not come as naturally to us.