Nicole Lowenbraun and Maegan Stephens: Adaptive Listening
Oct 11, 2024
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Nicole Lowenbraun and Maegan Stephens, communication experts from Duarte, dive into the transformative power of adaptive listening. They discuss how mastering this skill can cultivate trust in both personal and professional relationships. The duo presents four unique listening styles: support, advance, immerse, and discern. Listeners learn how to move beyond traditional active listening to engage more effectively, especially in leadership. Practical tips abound, encouraging immediate skill-building for enhanced communication.
Adaptive listening combines expressive communication with active listening, enhancing trust and engagement in both personal and professional relationships.
The four distinct listening styles—Support, Advance, Immerse, and Discern—cater to varied communication needs, fostering deeper understanding and connection.
Deep dives
The Importance of Adaptive Listening
Adaptive listening is essential for effective communication in any workplace, requiring individuals to focus not only on expressing their ideas but also on genuinely understanding others. This two-way street of communication necessitates active participation from both the speaker and the listener, where listening is recognized as a critical skill that is often neglected. Many individuals default to expressive communication methods, feeling judged on their speaking abilities, which detracts from their ability to truly listen and process information. Emphasizing that good listening can lead to enhanced engagement, it is crucial for leaders to balance how they share and receive information, fostering a more inclusive environment.
Types of Listening Styles
The discussion introduces four distinct listening styles, encapsulated in the acronym SED: Support, Advance, Immerse, and Discern, each serving different communication needs. Support listening validates the speaker's emotions, essential for establishing trust and openness in interactions, while Advance listening aims to propel discussions forward by encouraging actionable steps and solutions. Immerse listening prioritizes understanding and retaining content, facilitating deeper engagement in meetings or discussions. Lastly, Discern listening focuses on critical analysis, assessing the quality or validity of what is being discussed, showcasing the varied ways individuals may interpret and respond to communication.
Transforming Relationships Through Listening
Implementing adaptive listening can significantly transform personal and professional relationships by enhancing how individuals interact with each other. Techniques such as focusing on the needs of the speaker—what they require from the listener—can elevate the quality of communication both at work and at home. For instance, recognizing that a spouse might simply want emotional support, rather than a solution, can lead to deeper connections and satisfaction in personal relationships. By making a conscious effort to adapt one’s listening style based on the context, individuals can cultivate environments where everyone feels valued and understood.
The Role of Training and Cultural Adoption
Organizational training in adaptive listening is a pivotal way to enhance communication skills across teams, creating a shared language and understanding among team members. This training encourages individuals to recognize their default listening style while learning to adapt according to the needs of different situations or speakers. By promoting a culture that values emotional intelligence and diverse listening strategies, companies can improve team dynamics, retention, and overall effectiveness. Workshops and team sessions can provide practical frameworks for individuals to practice and refine their listening skills, fostering an environment of continuous growth.
Cultivate more trust and traction at work and in your relationships by using adaptive listening to level up communication in your personal and professional life. Authors Maegan Stephens and Nicole Lowenbraun highlight the importance of balancing both expressive communication and active listening, and provide a framework for four different listening styles: support, advance, immerse, and discern.
Listen Like a Leader: Read our guide to learn how to listen and then pick one or two skills you can start building this week.
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