Is Listening an Art?

Is Listening an Art?

What do you do when your mother starts screaming at you? What do you do when your employees gets upset and start venting? Or, most importantly, what do you do when your customers start complaining?

By being a great listener, you give people a sense of caring, and when you care you allow them to help you to become much more. I know it is not easy to listen to people who are saying bad things about you or your company, but what if you could really go beyond ego, emotions, and judgment and give yourself a chance to see things from their point of view?

We have few customers who call us day and night to tell us what they don’t like about us, but a lot of customers will call us regularly to tell us how great we are. To be honest, I appreciate the ones who take the time out of their busy day and call us to tell us things that we are not doing well the most. I think any business who puts their complaining customers on their payroll can win big-time. When people vent, you have an opportunity to learn something new - but only if you start listening. Remember you have absolutely nothing to lose by listening to people who are not saying the right things about you!

Have you ever had someone complaining, and the only thing you can think about is what to throw at them when they are finished? Things didn’t go very well, did they? How about, if the next time someone starts venting, just let them and really focus on your listening skills!

Here are some tips on becoming a better listener when talking to frustrated friends, family members or customers:

1 - The 5 Second rule. Pause for 5 seconds before you respond to someone who is venting, if they talk again in these 5 seconds, you have to start the 5 seconds rule all over again.

2 - Don’t Disagree. Venting simply could mean, “Please understand how I feel”, so you don’t always have to have an answer! you can simply say, ”I understand” and say nothing more.

3 - Learn the Lesson. Think about the lesson you will be learning when someone vents - this is your chance to get better. Try to find the lesson in everything they say, and ignore their tone of voice if it’s inappropriate.

4 - Be Apologetic. If you find that the reason behind their frustration is you or your company, always apologize and be honest about your mistakes. People understand that anyone can make mistakes as long as you are willing to do something about it.


5 - Take action. Do something about their frustration, don’t just be a good listener. Tell them exactly what kind of action you are going to take to make it better.


Comments are welcomed!