Here's how you can understand the needs of your stakeholders using active listening techniques.

Naturally, we are a trained to interrogate, to seek more answers, to uncover the real problem. This line of thinking forces us to think of follow up questions instead of listening purposefully. Active listening means listening to understand. Not seeking to solve the problem, but for a deeper understanding of these stakeholders perspective. Candidly, it is much harder to do than it is to iterate. I found that framing conversations to not be solution oriented (“Please stop me if I offer solutions”) is a way to help encourage active listening.

Well, I'm considering active listening as one of the biggest challenges. I feel that everyone can speak, but only a few can listen. The challenge is on both sides, the speaker and the audience. For the speaker, I would go for the KISS method - keep it simple and short. Any long speech can kill the message. For the audience - please be THERE -no mobile, no computer. For both - try to look at the eyes or at least at the face of the participants.

Practice attentive listening by giving your full attention, maintaining eye contact, and avoiding interruptions. Paraphrase and repeat key points to ensure clarity and understanding. Ask open-ended questions to gather more information and encourage elaboration. Observe non-verbal cues like body language and tone to identify underlying emotions or concerns. Provide affirmative feedback through nods or verbal cues like "I understand" to make stakeholders feel heard. Summarize the main points at the end to confirm your understanding. Actively listening demonstrates respect, builds trust, and helps you gather insights to effectively address stakeholder needs.

Try to go beyond figuring out what your clients are thinking and move to feeling what they are feeling. It's not about your desire for them to think you are smart. It's sometimes about easing their pain, or better yet helping them achieve what they are dreaming about. We can think of ourselves as performers when in front of a client. That is dangerous. I like the approach Pavarotti take. He said, "Every performers wants the audience to love them. I love my audience". For him it's about what he can give them to leave them better.

Active listening is both an art an a science. While listening, you have to identify the explicit AND implicit messages. Typically, the explicit messages from your clients are verbal or supplemented with written content. That's the scientific part; analyzing the information that was shared or given to you. The artistic part or interpretation is implicit; analyzing the information that was NOT shared but may be inferred by body language from the client or her/his/their peers. It is best to consider the verbal information gathered first and foremost, but do not exclude the non-verbal information that is a gathered.

Demonstrating empathy is essential in active listening. It involves understanding and sharing the feelings of your stakeholders. I recall a project where our primary client was concerned about potential service disruptions. By expressing genuine empathy and acknowledging their concerns, we built trust and opened a channel for more honest and productive discussions. This empathetic approach helped us align our project timelines with their critical business periods, minimizing impact.

Understand Perspective: Try to see things from the stakeholder’s point of view. Acknowledge Feelings: Verbally acknowledge their feelings, such as saying, "I understand that this is important to you." Patience: Be patient and allow stakeholders to express themselves fully without interrupting.

Showing empathy to program stakeholders requires you to show body or facial expressions denoting a similar feeling of pain and distress of being equally affected by the issue put before you.

When dealing with people who may have different mother younger paraphrasing could be seen as you are correcting their language. It is critical to take into consideration cultural issues and backgrounds. The engagement strategy should be designed accordingly

Restate in Your Words: Summarize what the stakeholder has said in your own words. For example, "So, what I’m hearing is that you’re concerned about the project timeline." Clarify Understanding: Ask if your paraphrase is accurate, allowing the stakeholder to correct any misunderstandings.

Paraphrasing what the stakeholder says is a powerful technique to ensure you have correctly understood their message. After a stakeholder outlined their expectations in a meeting, I would often restate their points in my own words, such as, "So, what I hear you saying is that timely updates and minimal downtime are your top priorities, correct?" This approach not only clarifies any misunderstandings but also shows the stakeholder that their input is valued and taken seriously

Paraphrasing contents of what a stakeholder is explaining to you about program activities can offer some of relief and compassion to stakeholders making them feel better and willing to accept changes or modification of the issue put forward.

Many a time the stakeholder needs time and is trying their best to communicate what exactly is the pain point. Usually, they are trying to piece the pieces of the puzzle themselves. It may not be the complete story, rather just the tip of the iceberg. So if you can paraphrase while mentally making of note of asking the why behind what’s being stated you get to an almost root-cause approach that you are applying while actively listening and discussing it with the stakeholders. Asking simply ‘do you know why?’ Or ‘was the reason ever discovered?’ Not only do they feel heard but understood and know that you are a partner in problem solving not just passively listening. That is powerful.

Ask questions but be strategic in the way you coin the questions. Don’t ask questions for the sake of asking but in away it builds the story

Asking open-ended questions is essential for understanding stakeholder's needs in depth. By encouraging detailed responses with questions that go beyond yes or no answers, such as "Can you explain more about...?" , you invite stakeholders to elaborate and share comprehensive insights. This approach not only uncovers valuable information but also demonstrates your genuine interest in their perspectives. Additionally, seeking clarification on unclear points ensures that you accurately grasp their needs and concerns, thereby facilitating more effective and tailored responses to their requirements.

Open-Ended Questions: Use open-ended questions to encourage stakeholders to elaborate, such as "Can you tell me more about your expectations for this project?" Follow-Up Questions: Ask follow-up questions to dive deeper into specific points, like "What specific challenges have you encountered with the current process?" Clarifying Questions: Use clarifying questions to ensure you understand the details, such as "When you say 'urgent,' what timeframe are you referring to?"

Asking questions is key to deepening your understanding and gathering more detailed information. Open-ended questions encourage stakeholders to elaborate on their points. In a recent project, I used questions like, "Can you explain how this feature will impact your daily operations?" or "What challenges have you faced with similar implementations in the past?" These questions helped us uncover underlying needs and potential obstacles, allowing us to refine our approach.

The context of situations is equally as important as empathy. Many times I have found that if use the '5 whys of root cause analysis, can further help in active listening. The 5 whys (sometimes known as 5Y) is of course borrowed from root cause analysis and it can be used to 'drill down' into situation that the subject of the conversation. The listener must be judicious and careful when using 5Y, otherwise the speaker could misconstrue it as an interrogation and not a conversation.

Summarize Key Points: Summarize the main points discussed and any agreed actions. For example, "To summarize, you need the report by Friday, and it should include the latest sales figures." Positive Reinforcement: Acknowledge their input and how it will be used, such as "Your insights on market trends are very valuable for our strategy planning." Next Steps: Clearly outline the next steps based on the conversation to show proactive engagement.

Providing constructive feedback during conversations helps keep the dialogue open and collaborative. After listening to a stakeholder’s concerns, I make it a point to share how their input will influence our actions. For instance, "Based on your feedback, we will adjust our deployment schedule to accommodate your peak business hours." This reassures stakeholders that their input is instrumental in shaping project outcomes and fosters a collaborative environment.

As a QA expert, active listening is key to understanding stakeholder needs in education and training. It involves engaging fully with students and instructors to gather meaningful feedback. By actively listening during classes, facilitating focus groups, and using surveys, we can capture student insights. Regular meetings and peer observations help gather instructor feedback. Creating a feedback loop, analyzing and acting on feedback, and leveraging technology ensure continuous improvement. This approach keeps training relevant and effective, promoting a culture of quality and constant enhancement. Despite not being obvious, providing feedback, as the main driver of continuous improvement, is the most important aspect of active listening.

Feedback is required for any successful communication to occur. Without feedback we can be left wondering if our ideas where understood or worse yet completing the wrong task.

Providing feedback does not end when the meeting is over. It should be a continual engagement to ensure expectations are clear, recommendations are discussed and concerns are addressed. It’s best to take notes and schedule follow up sessions to ensure everyone is on the same page or demonstrate examples when needed.

Verbal Reflection: Use statements like, "I can see that this issue is very frustrating for you," to show understanding of their emotional state. Tone and Body Language: Match your tone and body language to the stakeholder’s emotions to create rapport and show empathy. Validation: Validate their emotions by acknowledging their right to feel that way, such as "It’s completely understandable that you’re upset about the delay."

Reflecting the emotional tone of the stakeholder’s message is another critical component of active listening. It involves acknowledging the feelings conveyed and responding appropriately. For example, if a stakeholder expresses frustration over delays, responding with, "I understand that the delays are frustrating, and we are committed to addressing this issue promptly," shows empathy and a commitment to resolving their concerns. This technique helps in defusing tensions and building a rapport.

Active listing has to show your commitment to listen actively even after the end of that conversation. Building rapport, creating a communication channel and confirming the speaker that you are ready to listen in the future will help you to get important ideas even after the end of that conversation.

Build Rapport: Establish a rapport with stakeholders by showing genuine interest in their needs and concerns, beyond just the project scope. Cultural Sensitivity: Be aware of cultural differences that may affect communication styles and preferences. Regular Check-ins: Schedule regular check-ins to stay updated on stakeholder needs and to demonstrate ongoing commitment to their interests.

Beyond these techniques, it’s important to maintain an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders. Regular check-ins and updates ensure that their needs and expectations are continually met. Additionally, creating a structured feedback mechanism where stakeholders can easily share their thoughts and concerns can further enhance the relationship. Lastly, being adaptable and ready to pivot based on stakeholder feedback ensures that your projects remain aligned with their evolving needs. By employing these active listening techniques, you can better understand and meet the needs of your stakeholders, leading to more successful project outcomes and stronger stakeholder relationships.

To improve active listening, I highly recommend taking an improv class. One of our challenges as humans is starting to think of our response before the other person has finished talking. Improv broke me of that habit. In improv, "yes-and" is a foundational concept. You cannot "yes-and" unless you finish listening. Otherwise you "block" the other person and kill the scene with an irrelevant response. It is ok to allow the other person to finish and then begin formulating your response. Take the time!

Read, know and understand the contract or PWS to ensure work is performed according to the agreement. Sometimes the customer “asks” lead to more costs and outside the period of performance. Program Managers should know what is within the scope and when to request a modification when outside of the scope.