The Secret to Better Comprehension
Listening Tips Every Business Leader Needs
Why Listening is Important
Listening means more than just understanding; it means actually comprehending the message that the speaker wants to share with you, actively engaging, and showing interest in what they have to say. If you don’t understand the other person’s message, you won’t be able to respond correctly, and the conversation will come to a dead-end.
For business leaders, poor listening can result in misunderstandings that affect decision-making and client relationships. Strong listening skills are just as important as speaking skills. You must be sure to never take them for granted.
The Problems Poor Listening Can Cause
Poor listening skills can lead to serious problems for managers and business leaders. If you misunderstand instructions from your team or clients, you might waste time, focus on the wrong tasks, or miss important opportunities. Also, not catching key details during conversations can affect decision-making, communication, and productivity.
Here are some examples of how poor listening can cause problems in a business setting:
As a manager, not listening carefully to your employees' requests might cause you to neglect their needs resulting in a lack of job satisfaction, damaging rapport, and a decrease in productivity.
When talking with clients, not fully understanding their needs can lead you to offer the wrong solutions, which could damage your relationship or cost you business opportunities.
These problems can hurt your reputation and make it harder to lead your team. In business, strong listening skills are crucial for building trust, communicating clearly, and avoiding mistakes that can cost time and money.
Why Listening Can Be Challenging
Listening and reading are receptive skills, but listening can be more challenging because you don’t get to see the words. Instead, you rely entirely on your ears to understand the sounds. This can be difficult in English for several reasons.
1. Variety of accents
Whether the accent is native or non-native, the differences in pronunciation can be very confusing. For example:
Schedule:
In the U.S., it’s pronounced: "sked-jool”
While in the UK, it’s pronounced: "sheh-jool"
Advertisement:
In American English, it’s pronounced: "ad-ver-tis-ment"
While in British English, it’s pronounced: "ad-ver-tis-muhnt"
2. Merging Sounds
Another challenge is that native speakers often connect words and sounds together, which makes it harder to catch every word. For instance:
"What do you want to discuss in the meeting today?" might sound like: "What d'ya wanna discuss in the meeting today?"
"I need you to clarify the details of the proposal." might sound like "I need ya t'clarify the details o' the proposal."
3. Unfamiliar Slang & Expressions
Native speakers often use slang, idiomatic expressions, and business-related phrases that might be hard to understand. Some examples include:
"Let’s touch base later" = "Let’s talk later"
"We need to circle back on this" = "We need to discuss this again later"
These expressions don’t always make sense if translated directly, making it harder to follow the conversation.
Effective Listening Strategies for Business Leaders
Improving your listening skills requires practice and the right strategies. Here are a few practical tips to help business leaders enhance their comprehension:
Don’t Pretend You Understand
If you don’t understand something, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. It’s much better to ask than to pretend you understand. This will help you avoid misunderstandings and make sure you're on the same page. It will also help you to improve your listening skills long term as you’re identifying weak areas.Practice Active Listening
Active listening means fully focusing on the speaker, understanding their message, and responding appropriately. It’s essential to give your full attention, make eye contact, and avoid distractions like checking your phone during conversations. Ask questions to check understanding and to learn more.Try Dictation Practice
Dictation is when you listen to someone and you try to write down word for word what you hear. Here are the steps:Choose a material that you enjoy (podcast, video, etc.)
Pause the audio and write down what you heard
Check your answers with the subtitles or transcript
Repeat the exercise as needed. Avoid choosing material that is too easy or too difficult. Pay attention to the merging of words and how the sounds are produced.
Practice with Different Accents
English is spoken with many different accents, and it’s important to be comfortable understanding all of them. Listen to podcasts, business meetings, or e YouTube channels in various accents to expand your comprehension. You can also use Youglish.com to hear a variety of accents and real-life pronunciations of words.Repetition is Key
Listening to the same content multiple times can help you catch things you missed the first time. Whether it’s a business podcast, a recorded meeting, or a speech, repetition strengthens vocabulary and improves listening skills. Here’s a step-by-step strategy I recommend:
Choose a piece of media (song, podcast, video).
I suggest something short (2-15 minutes), depending on your level, to avoid it becoming boring.
Listen 5 times following these steps:
Listen without subtitles or a transcript to see how much you can understand without assistance.
Listen again with subtitles or a transcript to check your understanding.
Listen again pausing and taking notes of new vocabulary, then look up definitions as needed.
Listen again with subtitles to confirm understanding.
Listen one final time without subtitles to check how much you've improved.
Evaluate your progress. Can you understand more now than on the first listen?
The Role of a Tutor in Improving Listening Skills
The help of a tutor can really make a difference when it comes to improving your listening skills. A tutor will provide real-life conversation practice, putting your listening skills to the test in various business situations. A tutor will also point out when you've misunderstood something and offer opportunities for improvement.
If you’re ready to take your listening skills to the next level, I offer
1-on-1 classes
Group classes
Conversation club
Are you ready to get started today? [SIGN UP FOR A FREE CLASS]
Why Listening Skills Matter For Success
Effective listening is essential for any business leader. By practicing active listening, building your vocabulary, and exposing yourself to different accents and speech patterns, you can improve your comprehension and avoid misunderstandings. Don't forget that working with a tutor is an excellent way to boost your listening skills, get personalized feedback, and engage in real-life conversations.
Want more listening tips? Check out my podcast episode with Alexandre as we share our top strategies for better listening Comprehension.