Want to learn how to listen effectively? Wondering how to improve your active listening skills? Find out the 10 steps to listening greatness by viewing this presentation. Questions? Tweet @AngelaLaGamba.

1. HOW TO
LISTEN
EFFECTIVELY
FROM THE SUCCESS / COMMUNICATIONS SERIES
ANGELA LA GAMBA, CC, CL
TOASTMASTERS
FEBRUARY 2014

2. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
• The Importance of
Listening
• 10 Steps to Listening
Greatness
• Group Exercise
• In Summary
Questions? Email a.lagamba@gmail.com or tweet @AngelaLaGamba

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF
LISTENING
• Listening is…
• Paying attention
• Caring about
• Validating
• Acknowledging
• Leaders use excellent listening
skills for:
• People development
• Solution finding
• Building & communicating a
vision
• Leading projects or teams
Questions? Email a.lagamba@gmail.com or tweet @AngelaLaGamba

4. 10 STEPS TO LISTENING
GREATNESS
1. Face the speaker and make
/ maintain eye contact
• Avoid the “Look at me
when I’m talking to you”
moment
• Put aside papers, books,
the phone and other
distractions
2. Be attentive, but relaxed
• Be present, stay focused
Questions? Email a.lagamba@gmail.com or tweet @AngelaLaGamba

5. 10 STEPS TO LISTENING
GREATNESS
3. Keep an open mind
• Listen without judging the other person
or mentally criticizing the things s/he
tells you
• Listen without jumping to conclusions
• Don’t be a sentence-grabber
4. Listen to the words and try to picture
what the speaker is saying.
•
•
Create a mental model of the
information being communicated
Concentrate on what is being said,
even if it bores you
Questions? Email a.lagamba@gmail.com or tweet @AngelaLaGamba

6. 10 STEPS TO LISTENING
GREATNESS
5. Don’t interrupt and don’t impose
your “solutions”
•
•
It is rude to interrupt others!
Interrupting says: “I’m more
important than you are” and “I
don’t really care what you think”
• Ask permission to share a
solution: “Would you like to hear
my ideas?”
6. Wait for the speaker to pause to
ask clarifying questions
•
If you don’t understand, ASK
Questions? Email a.lagamba@gmail.com or tweet @AngelaLaGamba

7. 10 STEPS TO LISTENING
GREATNESS
7. Ask questions only to ensure
understanding
•
Don’t take detours from the
original conversation
8. Try to feel what the speaker
is feeling
•
•
•
Put yourself in the other
person’s shoes
Convey feelings through
your facial expressions and
words
Empathy is the heart and
soul of good listening
Questions? Email a.lagamba@gmail.com or tweet @AngelaLaGamba

8. 10 STEPS TO LISTENING
GREATNESS
9. Give the speaker regular
feedback
•
Reflect the speaker’s feelings
- “You must be thrilled!” “What
a terrible ordeal for you.”
• Nod, show your understanding
through occasional well-timed
“hmmm” or “uh huh”
10. Pay attention to what isn’t said
– to nonverbal cues
•
Majority of direct
communication is probably
non-verbal
Questions? Email a.lagamba@gmail.com or tweet @AngelaLaGamba

9. GROUP EXERCISE
•
Were you listening to
today’s presentation?
•
•
Write down 5 of the 10
‘steps to listening
greatness’ on a blank
sheet of paper
Let’s go over them
together!
Questions? Email a.lagamba@gmail.com or tweet @AngelaLaGamba

10. IN SUMMARY
Questions? Email a.lagamba@gmail.com or tweet @AngelaLaGamba

11. THANK YOU!
ANGELA LA GAMBA, CC, CL
TOASTMASTERS
FEBRUARY 2014

12. HELPFUL RESOURCES
• Friedman, D.M. (n.d.). The Lost Art of Listening. Dr. Don
Friedman. Retreived from:
http://www.drdonfriedman.com/uploads/Don_LISTENING.pdf
• Galbraith, A. (2012, May 30). How using extreme listening can
develop leadership skills. Training Zone. Retreived from:
http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/topic/soft-skills/how-usingextreme-listening-can-develop-leadership-skills/173524
• Schilling, D. (2012, November 9). 10 Steps to Effective
Listening. Forbes. Retreived from:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2012/11/09/10steps-to-effective-listening/
• Smith, D. (2009, July 6). Are You Really Listening? Training
Zone. Retreived from: http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/topic/softskills/are-they-really-listening