5 listening methods that will transform your career (and 2 types of listening to ditch!)

When someone is communicating something to you, are you really listening? In an age of endless screens and notifications vying for our attention, giving someone your full attention is such a gift.

In fact, I’ve had a sneaking suspicion for a while now that being a good listener is a highly underrated superpower. In order to improve professional relationships, foster a work environment of trust, and rid yourself of your unconscious bias, try listening. Really, truly, actively listening.  Think about the last time that you felt like someone was really listening to you—it felt good, really good, didn’t it?

But not only that, becoming a better listener will benefit your personal and professional life in so many ways, from helping to build trust to opening up new perspectives and helping you to learn new skills faster.  Let’s dive into how working on this skill can help you develop in your career

You’ll learn more (and much more than you thought possible)

Listening is a key part of good interpersonal and communication skills which can really set you apart in the workplace. From the job interviews to meetings, listening and watching others is what will inform a more rounded knowledge of what's actually being said—both aloud and between the lines, so to speak. Even better, we can all learn to be good listeners with a little thoughtfulness and practice. You’re probably well aware that listening isn’t something that always comes naturally; rather, it’s a skill that we have to actively work at and improve throughout our lives.

You become a word-class problem solver

When you're paying attention to every word, all nonverbal cues, and every bit of nuanced behaviour happening at work, you are the smartest person in the room. When you really listen, you know that one person's tone of voice might mean something that everyone else is missing. When you're noticing posture, pauses, rapport, and interactions between leadership, you're always learning. The key to great problem solving is understanding. Nobody has a better understanding of everyone in the room than the attentive listener.

You can amplify others’ voices

Sometimes, underrepresented employees in a workplace are the last to have their ideas heard—and it's not because they aren't creative and innovative ideas. It can be due to a variety of reasons, including biases or simply that this person doesn't have the loudest voice. Learning how to amplify these valuable contributions can not only improve organisations but develop your career into the bargain

What not to do when listening

The worst types of listeners are not even listening. More often than not, they're just waiting for a pause long enough to start talking themselves - thinking of the next thing they need or want to say. Here are a couple of types of "listening" that we've probably all been guilty of or been on the receiving end of. 

Biased Listening 

This happens when you're not really listening (under the guise of listening) but making space, instead, for your biases and judgments to thrive. In fact, you're probably waiting for the person to slip up, finish talking, or for time to share your prepared monologue.  Biased listeners are waiting for the speaker to say something that they want to hear. At that point, they perk up and respond. The problem? These listeners have missed so many details by waiting to hear what they wanted to hear. 

Passive Listening 

Unfortunately, passive listening is the most common type of listening. It's where you're waiting for someone to get to the main point, you're doodling in your notebook, and you're disengaged. In the workplace, passive listening is very common during long and often unproductive meetings.  

So, if you’re ready to become a better listener, well done for taking the first step by reading this blog - putting in the effort to improve is sure to have positive results. 

5 Types of Listening (and how you can work to improve them) 

Did you know that there are several different kinds of listening? Let’s explore what they are so that you can work on mastering them all—different types of listening might be more or less appropriate for different situations so it’s good to have a listening toolkit to draw upon.

1. Active Listening

This is the one we probably know the best. Active listening simply means that you’re completely focused on the person who is talking to you, and you’re showing very obviously with your body language that you’re giving whoever is speaking your full attention. When you’re engaged in active listening you’ll be giving off a range of subtle verbal and nonverbal cues to show you’re really listening.

For example, active listening might require stopping all other activities and avoiding distractions to show that listening is your priority—while maintaining eye contact, keeping your body turned towards the speaker, nodding, and saying “Mmhmm.” Mirroring the speaker’s body language can send them the message that you’re interested and engaged by what they’re saying.

2. Critical Listening 

Critical listening, which is sometimes also referred to as evaluative listening, involves problem-solving, analysis, and decision-making. When you’re engaged in this kind of listening, your critical faculties are fully switched on and you’re processing the information that someone is sharing with you in real-time, ready to ask relevant questions and get clarification on any points that are unclear.

When engaged in critical listening, it’s important to take notes so you can follow up on key points, and make sure you’re not making any assumptions about the meaning of what you’re hearing that might make you misinterpret the information. 

Critical listening is collaborative and active rather than passive; another important part of being a good critical listener is the ability to give valuable feedback, which shows you’ve been listening closely and are actively engaged. This kind of listening is most common in the workplace

3. Informational Listening

Informational listening is listening to learn, and this type of listening is very important for students or someone going through training or onboarding in a new company. Informational listening is not necessarily about giving feedback or an opinion in response to what you’ve heard, as is the case with critical listening, but more to understand and absorb a message.

As with critical listening, it’s important to take notes when engaged in informational listening, as this will help you remember and assimilate important pieces of information. Another great place to use your informational listening? You guessed it —in an informational interview. 

 4. Empathetic Listening

Empathetic listening is any kind of listening that helps you empathise with and understand someone’s emotion—essentially putting yourself in someone’s shoes as they talk, and showing that you are really thinking about what it must be like to be them.

Since empathy is the cornerstone of good communication, this is arguably the most important type of listening. Sometimes, the best way to show real compassion and acceptance is by keeping an open mind and a closed mouth. 

Empathetic listening is crucially important in misunderstandings and moments of upset. An effective communicator won't try to make the speaker feel like their point of view is more or less valuable than their colleagues. Instead, you'll listen, offer understanding, and give your own opinion if and when asked.

When engaged in empathetic listening, you might find it helps to repeat back what they’ve said (putting it in your own words) and ask reflective, open-ended questions. For example, these types of responses might include: “That sounds really hard,” “Four years is a long time to have been caring for your mother; that shows a lot of strength,” or “How did that make you feel?”

This kind of listening, done well, can really make people feel seen and supported.

5. Appreciative Listening 

Appreciative listening is the kind of listening we all do when we’re listening to music we enjoy, watching something entertaining, or listening to an inspiring speech. (Think of the last time you found yourself nodding along)

It’s a relaxed form of listening that is less about communicating with someone in a collaborative way than simply receiving pleasure or encouragement from them (and reflecting this back at them by showing we appreciate what they’ve shared with us).

Appreciative listening is no less important for being a bit more passive than other forms of listening, though.

We all want to feel appreciated when we perform or share something, and when someone goes the extra mile of giving us positive feedback that shows they were really appreciating what they heard, it’s really encouraging. 

Of course, you’ll usually be using several different types of listening at the same time. And, pretty much all good listening starts with active listening (ignoring distractions, mirroring body language, etc.). However, being aware of the different styles of listening we engage in every day in different contexts is a great way to start improving your listening skills. 

Don’t forget to shut up and follow up

If you want to learn how to improve your listening skills, there are two things that apply in pretty much every situation: shutting up and following up. 

To listen well, you need to give someone space to talk without interrupting them; we’re often so focused on what we want to say that we jump in a bit too quickly.

Try pausing a beat and nodding rather than jumping straight in as soon as someone trails off, and maybe even ask a question like “Did you notice anything else?” to encourage them to share more. 

Following up after a conversation is another sure-fire way to let someone know you’ve really taken in what they’ve said. This might involve sending an email or text, acknowledging what they shared with you and asking a relevant follow-up question, or just letting them know you’re thinking about them if it’s in a personal context. 

Next time you find yourself in the role of listener, whether it’s at work or at home, try asking yourself which type of listening you’re engaged in, and what the person speaking might need the most from you in that conversation.