Advanced Strategic Communication: 3 Levels of Listening
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<Advanced Strategic Communication: 3 Levels of Listening>
When you think of an efficient corporate communicator, you may often picture someone who speaks charismatically, delivers speeches eloquently and has a way with words. The ability to speak is often revered as an important aspect of a corporate communicator. Corporate communicators go to great lengths to polish their speech. However, as much as speaking is crucial, the ability to listen is as important an aspect of being a corporate communicator.
Listening is often brushed upon as a skill that is innate. We often take it for granted that we are listening and absorbing everything the other party is saying. However, research shows that most people only remember about 17% to 25% of what they listen to. Hence, as corporate communicators, it is important to understand that there are 3 different levels of listening.
The 3 Levels of Listening
- Internal Listening
- Focused Listening
- Global Listening
Internal Listening
Internal Listening is when you listen to your own individual thoughts rather than what the speaker is saying. As the other party speaks, you interpret it according to what it means to you. This is the most common form of listening that people partake in for everyday listening. It is practical and helps us to quickly form opinions and expedite the communication process. The purpose of listening at this level is to speak. You are listening to the other party’s speech to respond to it by communicating your own thoughts to them. Most of us remain at this level of listening unless a conscious effort is put into improving our ability to listen.
Focused Listening
Focused Listening is when you listen to others by paying attention to the speaker’s tone of voice, body language, and actively listening to their speech. This is so as words only convey 7% of what someone is trying to say. Facial expressions and tone of voice are heavily responsible (93%) for communicating with others. You are actively trying to combine these different elements of their speech to get the intended message of the speech. The purpose of listening at this level is to learn. You are listening to the other party’s speech to learn how the other party feels about the different matters. And also how they react to those matters accordingly in terms of tone of voice and body language.
Global Listening
Global listening is when you listen to others by being attuned to their emotions, behaviors and the surrounding circumstances that lead to the conversation. The purpose of listening at this level is to understand. You are listening to the other party’s speech as well as taking into account the surrounding circumstances of the event. You are putting yourself in the shoes of the other party to truly understand where they are coming from.
Attaining the 3rd level of listening; Global Listening sets you apart as an efficient corporate communicator and advisor. Reaching this level of listening may even be arduous for veteran communicators. Hence, professional corporate training which focuses on the three levels of listening and would be definitely beneficial for senior corporate communicators to push their boundaries and further build upon their skills.
<Blog – 5 Ways to improve Internal Corporate Communication>
Advanced Strategic Corporate Communication: The Strategic Advisor is a 2-day training course which would be held from 23-24 November 2020 at Kuala Lumpur.
The course focuses on taking the senior communication professional on a journey into exploring more detailed aspects of the profession such as advanced communication planning and implementation. The course explores communication audits, other research methodologies, and advanced stakeholder analysis and management. At the end of the course, delegates will be able to build upon their value as a strategic advisor and heighten their influence on the business and the people around them.
Feel free to contact us for more information or if you would like to view our training schedule for alternative dates or for more information at info@opuskinetic.com.
<Advanced Strategic Corporate Communication The Strategic Advisor 23-24 Nov 2020 VILT>