Active Listening - Needs More Than Your Ears!

Active Listening is something that some people find difficult to grasp. Active listening is about ensuring and confirming understanding

Have you ever asked the question of someone close to you "Are you listening to me?"

I have found that we believe we hear, and we believe we understand, without any reference point other than ourselves.

For example, you ask someone to do something and they say "Okay, I'll do that later, I need to finish this first". There are a few problems here already!

• When is later?
• What will you actually do?
• Is what they are doing more important?
• Do they really know what you want them to do?

When we ask someone to do something we have a mental 'picture' in our head of what that something looks like. Likewise, if you are asked to do something, the person asking has their mental 'picture'.

This 'picture' is more than just a 2D image, it has other facets that we need to consider, such as emotions, beliefs and values.

Active Listening is about making sure your vision of something and the other persons vision are closely aligned, we all know what happens if they are not!

We need to use questioning and observation as part of Active Listening: questioning our understanding by restating what you believe has been said, probing into what the other persons something looks like, observing the body language as we restate to look for physical signs of agreement

As business leaders we should always be striving to understand what the WHOLE picture is all about.

Recommended Reading List - Mental Toughness

The following books have been recommended for further information on Mental Toughness, we hope you find them useful. Also why not enter our FREE Prize Draw to win a Mental Toughness Assessment for your organisation, use the button on the left.

Developing Mental Toughness      

By: Peter Clough & Doug Strycharcyzk  

Publisher: Kogan Page

ISBN-10: 0749473800

ISBN-13: 978-0794973808

This book examines how individuals respond to stress, pressure and challenge. A book for those whose role it is to improve individual and organisational performance, it details the core skills required to address these issues. The focus of the book is on understanding and developing mental toughness from the individual perspective

Developing Resilient Organisations

By: Doug Strycharcyzk & Charles Elvin

Publisher: Kogan Page

ISBN-10: 0749470097

ISBN-13: 978-0749470098

Much of the fear and uncertainty surrounding the global recession is concerned with the adverse impact it will have on organisations and society. However, recessions are nothing new and we know from experience that when a recession ends, organisations and individuals will emerge who have not only survived but thrived. This book argues that one of the fundamental keys to survival under such circumstances is resilience or mental toughness. It addresses a number of organisational issues; motivation, performance, staff retention, behaviour, trust, attention span and teamwork.

Leadership Coaching

By: Prof Jonathan Passmore

Publisher: Kogan Page

ISBN-10:0749455322

ISBN-13: 978-0749455323

The book examines the models and techniques used to develop leadership in others through a coaching relationship.By looking at specific models, each contributor reviews the research whihc supports the model and explores how it can be of use in a coaching relationship. The book includes information on two measurement systems - the Mental Toughness Measure (MTQ48) and Integrated Leadership Measure (ILM72) - from AQR.

Psychometrics in Coaching

By: Prof Jonathan Passmore

Publisher: Kogan Page

ISBN-10: 0749466642

ISBN-13: 978-0749466640

With demand growing for in the coaching profession for psychometric testing, coaches and practitioners need to understand the psychology which underpins the tests and well as selecting and applying them effectively. This book provides an overview of the use of psychometrics and providing feedback, and offers clear explanations of the key models and tools used in coaching today, including MTQ48. It is an essential resource for anyone seeking expert guidance from leading writers in the field, as well as students on psychology, psychometrics, business and human resources programmes.

Developing Mental Toughness In Young People

By: Doug Strycharczyk & Peter Clough

Publisher: Karnac Books

ISBN-10: 1782200053

ISBN-13: 978-1782200055

This publication describes Mental Toughness in relation to the development of young people, whether in education or in extra-curricular activity. This is particularly important in the context of change and also the challenge of preparing to live and work in a fast-moving and fast changing world. One of societies greatest challenges today is developing young people who are the future generators of wealth, to ensure they are equipped to play a full and productive role in the social and economic of the world they inhabit. Young people must be prepared with the attributes and qualities to deal with this by education and youth work.

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