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Guest post by: Robert Whipple Become an Author

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Most organizations have some sort of survey or feedback mechanism where they request input on employee satisfaction. In the vast majority of cases the issue of communication comes out #1 or #2 on the list of concerns. There is a huge gap between what employees see as adequate communication and what leaders and managers typically provide.

Communication is a broad topic area consisting of numerous methods, but I believe most leaders are pretty good at talking. Where they fall short is listening. Reason: when most people are "listening" what they are actually doing is getting ready to speak. The majority of mental processing power is focused on what the listener is going to say when he or she has a chance to enter into the conversation. A key reason for this is that we can think about three times faster than the other person can form and say words, so there is a lot of free time mentally to focus on our agenda.

The best defense for listening deficiencies is the technique of "active listening" also called "reflective listening." This is where the listener follows a four point process while listening to the other person.

1. Attend the other person by putting down any distracting activities and focusing attention intently on the other person.

2. Follow the conversation and make gestures or grunts that let the person know you are hearing the input.

3. Listen closely enough so you can interject brief comments along the way to confirm you are getting understanding of the true meaning.

4. Do not interrupt the other person until your are convinced the essence of the message has been communicated.

These four steps will ensure you get the bulk of the communication, but they require practice if you are going to perfect this technique. The challenge with active listening is remembering to consciously do it as much as possible until it becomes a habit. One trick I use is to be alert for communication situations where the other person is upset, or in an emotional state. These times are more critical to listen deeply and are a great opportunity to practice your active listening skills.

One precaution on using this technique is to not be too heavy handed with the reflections. If you are clumsy or too obvious with the reflections, it will annoy the speaker, and he or she will terminate the conversation early.

If all managers and leaders used active listening more, then employees would have less dissatisfaction with communication in organizations.

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