Active listening is more than just hearing words; it's about understanding the message. In the workplace, you'll need two types of listening skills: listening for general information (skimming) and listening for specific information (scanning).
1. Listening for General Information (Gist/Skimming) This is when you listen to understand the main idea or overall topic of a conversation, meeting, or presentation. You are not trying to catch every single detail.
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When to use it: In a long meeting to get the key takeaways, during a casual team update, or when first hearing about a new project.
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How to do it:
- Focus on the speaker's tone and emphasis.
- Listen for keywords and repeated phrases.
- Don't get stuck on words you don't understand; focus on the overall context.
- Ask yourself: *'What is the main point here?'2. Listening for Specific Information (Scanning) This is when you are listening for particular details, such as names, dates, numbers, or answers to specific questions.
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When to use it: When a client gives you project requirements, when your manager assigns a task with a deadline, or when listening for your name in a meeting.
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How to do it:
- Prepare beforehand: know what information you need.
- Listen for signal words (e.g., 'The deadline is...', 'The key metric will be...').
- Take notes, writing down only the specific details you need.
- Ignore irrelevant information.
Example Scenario: In a project kickoff meeting, you would use general listening to understand the project's overall goal. When the project manager says, 'Okay, let's talk deadlines. The first draft is due on October 25th,' you would switch to specific listening to note down that exact date.