The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : It pays to listen in corporate world

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 13, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

It pays to listen in corporate world

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: "Watch your listen:talk ratio and learn to be a good listener," says this industrial consultant whose communication skills training sessions are sought after by the corporates.

Communication skills include both the skill of expression and that of listening well, says K. Shankar. The skill of expression does not merely mean being clever with words or having a large vocabulary and collection of quotable quotes.

"For a leader, expression is a vehicle to generate trust. Verbal expression counts for only 30 per cent, the remaining 70 per cent is non-verbal expression," he says. This includes one's appearance, body language factors such as expression in the eyes, sincerity in the posture, conviction in the tone and the positive vibrations that a person conveys.

Body language, a term much talked about now, actually communicates the personality of a leader. Its effectiveness depends on the strength and balance of the "inner structure", composed of knowledge and character with the core being based on an ideal vision. The ideal and vision may change in specific organisations but core values remain similar.

Listening is not just nodding your head. The skill of listening means understanding and getting to know the other person. This part of communication skill is important but unfortunately, less practised. As Mr. Shankar says: "Even nature has a design in this... you have two ears but only one mouth."

The physical process of hearing what the other person says comes first. This involves paying attention. Comprehending what the other person is saying is the second part and this demands undivided attention. "Looking out of the window, attending to papers on your desk or watching the television with the remote in your hand while the other person is speaking are all signs of not being attentive and not being interested in what the speaker is trying to express," he says.

Remembering what you have listened to is the third ingredient and comes only if you listen and comprehend what is being said. The ability to listen attentively and with sympathy, when a team leader shows signs of warmth, makes the other person feel he is an individual and not merely a faceless part of the corporate machine.

"This helps generate trust in a team. Listening to the body language as well gives a leader the opportunity to really know his team members and their characteristics and individual strengths which helps the organisation in the long run," he says.

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