114. Communication Means Paying Attention: The Four Pillars of Active Listening
Nov 7, 2023
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In this podcast, Julian Treasure and host Matt Abrahams discuss the power of breath and active listening. They introduce a four-step process for effective listening and explore the foundations of powerful speaking. They highlight the importance of content and delivery in successful communication, and express gratitude for the guest's insights and resources.
Listening is crucial in all aspects of human endeavor, including leadership and relationships, as it creates understanding and enables effective communication.
The four-step process of Rasa (receive, appreciate, summarize, and ask) is a powerful tool for effective listening and speaking, helping individuals to engage with speakers, clarify understanding, and facilitate connection and conversation.
Deep dives
Importance of Listening and Different Types of Listening
Listening is crucial because conscious listening always creates understanding. In today's world, where technology accelerates the absence of listening, it becomes essential. People are descending into silos of entrenched opinion and failing to create new ideas or challenge their own opinions. Listening is the basis of all human understanding and relationships. It is a way to sell, persuade, and enroll people by understanding their problems and needs. Listening is crucial at every level of human endeavor, including leadership and human relationships.
The Four-Step Process to Improve Listening Skills
The four-step process, known as Rasa, is a powerful tool for effective listening and speaking. Rasa stands for receive, appreciate, summarize, and ask. To receive, one must pay attention to the speaker, maintain eye contact, and show interest. Appreciation involves using visual signals like nods, smiles, and eyebrow raises to show engagement. Summarizing helps to clarify and confirm understanding, while asking open-ended questions facilitates connection and conversation. Practicing Rasa can significantly improve communication skills and lead to more powerful conversations.
Understanding the Listening of the Audience
Every individual's listening is unique, shaped by their experiences, culture, values, attitudes, and beliefs. Recognizing the listening of the audience is vital for effective communication. By asking, 'What's the listening I'm speaking into?', speakers can adjust their approach accordingly. Sensing the listening helps speakers hit the bullseye and connect with their audience. Factors like expectations, intentions, emotions, and assumptions influence listening. By understanding and adapting to the audience's listening, speakers can communicate in a way that resonates and engages the listeners.
We should all be audience-centric in communication. But, as Julian Treasure contests, we need to take it one step further. What is the listening I am speaking into?, he says, is the question every speaker should ask themselves over and over.
"Every human being’s listening is unique ... we listen through a set of filters and those filters develop as we grow and mature in life and we have experiences. Knowing where the person is coming from, you'll be able to sense their listening."
Treasure, an expert on speaking and sound, also offers advice on the breathing techniques that can transform one's speech. "If you want to speak powerfully, develop a breathing practice. And that can be as simple as conscious breathing, which is breathing in through the nose, out through the mouth."
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Treasure and host Matt Abrahams explore the power of breath; the four steps to show someone we're engaged and listening; and how by framing speech as a gift, we can better serve our audience.