What are the best ways to prevent misunderstandings from poor listening?

In order to make sure everyone is clear on a discussion : - Do not interrupt - Listen to understand not to answer - Speak less and to the point - Ask questions to understand - Summarize the outcome to make sure everyone on board

To me, it is about listening to understand vs. listening to respond. I often catch myself thinking of a response instead of trying to understand what the other person is conveying. I have purposely tried to say "so what I hear you saying is" and guess what, I don't always have it right.

I don't believe that there is "poor listening". What does exist is "peripheral noise" which results in distraction. How to get better listening results? Here are some tips: 1. Set aside the time needed. 2. Let the person(s) know the topic beforehand. 3. Use simple, clear language. 4. Ask the recipient(s) the following question- "What did you hear in my message?" 5. Ask questions for clarification. 6. Ask the recipient(s) to explain the gist of the message to someone else. To avoid misunderstandings in communications the time and place of the communication session is critical. Remember that the tone of the message delivery is more important than the words you choose to use.

Throughout my career, I've worked with teams from different continents, and cultural differences have led to serious misunderstandings. The most effective method I found is to thoroughly prepare detailed questions before meetings, openly ask about unclear points, and always take notes. It may seem simple, but yes, taking notes and confirming them with the other party afterward, much like repeating orders in the military, is crucial. It doesn't end there; sharing the notes promptly with the counterpart after meetings is essential. Yes, it's about active listening, but active participation and subsequent sharing are equally valuable.

We're all human and will at some point not listen properly or misunderstand something. Active listening is a great preventative tool and actually just being transparent if post conversation you realise you haven't listened or you've misunderstood- go and say it to the person. Working in start ups we really try and all lean into the coach approach - active listening being a key skill as its the quickest way to learn from others but also self reflecting each week is key. Who is your life do you need to listen to more?

Consider implementing "emotional agility," where recognizing and managing emotions becomes a dynamic strategy. Beyond adjusting your communication style, delve into understanding cultural sensitivities and nuances. This nuanced approach not only prevents misunderstandings but fosters a culture of respect, dismantling stereotypes and paving the way for meaningful, inclusive collaboration.

Agree, poor listening stems from triggering. When someone triggers you, your ability to process and assimilate is minimized significantly simply because you’ve encountered a situation that affects you to your core (and has occurred repeatedly). Definitely leads to misunderstandings and hurt feelings, especially in the heat of moment. If you value the relationship, most important to listen, share your perspective and apologize if necessary. Be authentic, demonstrate genuine desire to resolve issues…. agree to disagree. Once you’ve calmed down you develop a better understanding with a clearer lens. Both perspectives have value and offer an opportunity to strengthen relationships.

Understand why something is having an impact. Is it because you´re jealous, because the other person does something in a completely different way? There is always something to learn from strong reactions to an event.

It is truly important to improve the way of listening, and emotional intelligence is the core od how we try to understand each other in good communication. Sometimes emotional inteligence show the gesture of body language which is the honest language of human. Don't forget to keep on the possitive thinking when we are listening others. A kind listener will always give possitive energy in the room of comunication, and emotional intelligence is a key role to build a trust each other.

The biggest benefit of good listening is the absence of struggle. Good listening will help you get around most resistance. If you really understand what is important to stakeholders, it is usually easy to find a way to incorporate their wishes or to find a compromise that works for all. Also, it will help you align expectations. It often happens that everyone is in a hurry, this has a negative impact on communication overall. Really taking the time to listen to someone, asking questions, and understanding what needs to be done can help you get your change agents.

If everyone in a team listens effectively, listens to understand and move on instead to reply, then you’ll have a lot of successes to celebrate ! Listening helps focusing on results.

In my experience, the main challenge is not taking enough time. There is often a big pressure on change initiatives, and people prefer to move forward fast in order to show initial results. This is a big mistake. Culture change especially requires the buy-in or collaboration of many stakeholders. Not taking enough time to listen to their needs can ruin your change objectives.

A good way for me to be more present and attentive is to take and release a couple of deep breaths just before I enter or start a meeting. It helps me to release any tension I'm bringing into the meeting. Another way for me to catch myself straying from being present is when I can immediately respond to the other person. If I'm actually actively listening to the other person, it will take me a couple of moments to digest what they're saying before I'm able to respond.

One of the top skills I teach leaders is listening types. When they enter a conversation what type of listening are they doing? If they understand what the goal of the speaker is then they can engage is different types of listening and this makes them much more attentive to how they listen and the outcomes of the interaction. Are they there as a content sponge/cheerleader/action taker/sounding board?? Do they need to check what role they are going to take up? Do they have a default listening type that gets in the way of them truly engaging with the speaker and what they might need from the conversation?

In my experience, listening is improved with a bias to action if receiving a message, it is effective to playback what you have heard and the action you will take (‘I understand you need that report - and i’ll get a draft to you by Monday’) If giving a message and you want to make sure you have been heard and understood, ask for what the receiver has heard. It can be perceived as agressive to do this, but can be necessary so choice of language is important (‘This is an important project and I need to make sure everyone is aligned. Could you playback to me what you’re taking from this meeting’)

One more approach I find it very effective is asking questions for clarification. One strategy is to use open-ended questions, inviting the speaker to provide more details and insights. For instance, asking, "Can you tell me more about that?" encourages a comprehensive explanation. Reflective questions are also valuable; repeating what you've heard ensures accuracy and allows for corrections. For example, you might say, "If I understand correctly, you're concerned about the timeline. Is that accurate?" Additionally Paraphrasing the speaker's words and summarizing key points further contribute to confirming understanding. By incorporating these questioning techniques, you actively engage in the conversation and promote clear communication.

Effective listening is, like most leadership skills, not a skill you can apply 24/24 and in any situation. You may lack the energy, focus, patience… to do so. To avoid sending a message of disinterest it’s better to postpone a critical conversation rather than to sit ears shut through it. It helps a lot if you are generally known as approachable and open. In return people have empathy if you have to ask them for a bit of patience or even say “sorry, I’ve been looking at you but my mind wondered off, could you please repeat?”