Listening is important for our interactions and our ongoing relationships. Heather R. Younger joins Kevin to talk about active listening, which is more than nodding your head and repeating what someone says. Active listening uses your senses to recognize what is unsaid. Active listening is about engaging with the other person, showing interest, and understanding their emotional state. Active listening is about taking the time to research, reflect, and analyze the feedback or request received. Active listening is acting, even if the action is a compromise or a no. Lastly, active listening is consistently closing the loop to show that their voice is valued and their feedback matters.

Listen For

00:00 Introduction to the importance of active listening 02:14 Heather Younger's background and motivation for focusing on listening 06:23 Definition of active listening as understanding what others want 08:38 The five steps of the active listening cycle 11:44 Step 1: Recognizing the unsaid 15:15 Step 2: Seeking to understand 18:28 Step 3: Decoding and reflecting 22:43 Step 4: Taking action 24:46 Step 5: Closing the loop 30:00 Conclusion

Meet Heather

• Name: Heather R. Younger
• Her Story: Heather R. Younger is the author of The Art of Active Listening: How People at Work Feel Heard, Valued, and Understood. She is an experienced international keynote speaker, best-selling author, CEO, and Founder of Employee Fanatix. Her experiences as an entrepreneur, manager, attorney, writer, coach, listener, speaker, collaborator, and mother of 4 all lend themselves to a laser-focused clarity into what makes employees of organizations and companies—large and small—tick.
• https://heatheryounger.com/
• http://theartofcaringleadership.com/
• https://employeefanatix.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherryounger/
• https://www.instagram.com/heatherryoungerofficial/
• https://twitter.com/HeatherRYounger
• https://www.facebook.com/HeatherRYounger

This episode is brought to you by...

The Long-Distance Team. Remote leadership experts, Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel, help leaders navigate the new world of remote and hybrid teams to design the culture they desire for their teams and organizations in their new book!

Book Recommendations

• The Art of Active Listening: How People at Work Feel Heard, Valued, and Understood by Heather R. Younger
• Discover Your Fair Advantage: Leverage Your Unique Selling Points and Human Potential for Work, Business and Life by Sylvie di Giusto

Related Episodes

• Connecting with Others Through Listening with Ximena Vengoechea
• Using Communication Tools to Transform Work Relationships with Katie McCleary

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