​PM | How to Active Listening

House of PMO monthly poll result shows active listening is the most critical skill for project managers. Let's talk about what it is and what it means. 

First to Understand: One essential principle of communication is "first to understand and then to be understood." Active Listening means exploring every opportunity to fully understand people, all risks and opportunities. In other words. listen first. Dont' too eager to express yourself or put your answers right away. Listen, to the people’s questions, understand intentention of the ask first, Asking for clarification of the question if needed before put your answers. This can be easily detected during interview process when we saw some candidates are so capped in their own preparation may be over prepared, they start to ​talk without fully understand the question. 

Seeing Advice: means creating a diverse body of peers outside of our immediate network and should strike the right balance of long-term trustworthy relationships and "new blood." [1]

​Asking questions: ask the right questions or think about the actual needs. And how do you ask questions that will trigger this thoughtful responses?

​Project management Leadership focuses on developing others, coaching, being a trusted partner, and building communities. Active Listening requires us to listen even thou we don't agree with or don't want to hear what is being said. We may still learn something.

​​Reference 

1. Goldstein, Marv, Mindful listening, October, 2013