Communication encompasses a myriad of elements. From the words that we say, to the expression on our face, or the way we are sitting upright, communicating is a lot more than considering which words will be best strung together for comprehension sake.
Image from Lee Campbell
As we navigate working from home, video-calling, and bad connections, we are faced with new communication hurdles. Your screen may freeze on you with a half-way (seemingly displeasing) stare, or your calling app may need an update causing tardiness and an interruption several minutes into a meeting. Amidst all of this, we need to remember that listening, now more than ever, is an integral part of communication.
If there’s one flop we can all relate to (guilty or not), it’s talking over each other. Especially in a virtual working environment. Add in some background noise, people beeping in and out, or a long-winded talker, and you have yourself a challenging circumstance to ensure effective communication.
The owner of each meeting must be present and taking an active part in spreading the “spotlight.” It takes effort to see who has a question (fortunately, the chat feature works well for building up a queue if there is not an opportunity to verbally interject). The point for this post is less about meeting management – although I can cover that in coming weeks – it is about active listening. While listening is particularly important for managers, it is a lost skill for many of us.
Are you pausing to speak to allow another person to finish their thought, or are you barging ahead to say your piece? Are you thinking about what you will say next (or about what’s for dinner), or are you internalizing the words that are being spoken?
As a painless starting point, ask yourself the aforementioned questions. Can you be a better listener? With a slight increase in effort, our prolonged WFH life can be a little less of a communicative calamity.
First posted to LinkedIn.