LISTENING SKILLS

Listening Skills for Managers

Listening Skills for Managers

Introduction

Effective communication is stressed in management and is one essential skill that is required in managers. One main element of effective communication for managers is listening. Listening is an important as speaking. Managers should possess effective speaking skills, but should have listening skills as well because it leads to good decision making. Misunderstanding can cause a huge problem for the manager and his sub-ordinates. Poor listening can affect the business and the profitability of a business can suffer due to this. Managers should make sure that misunderstandings do not occur (Whetten & Cameron, 2002). Usually the managers have an attitude that they don't care about what others are saying, be it an employee or a customer. They only care about what they say and want things done in their way. This attitude should be changed because it damages the manager's own image and harms others, as well.

Importance of Listening

Effective communication is an important tool for doing business, and a fundamental element of effective communication is listening. Mangers should possess the listening skills that can be effective for them as managers and for the business as whole. If they are successful with this, then only they will be known as good managers (Rees & Porter, 2008). The importance of listening skills for managers falls into two categories, which are explained in detail below:

Listening to Customers

Managers should make sure that they listen to customers so that they can improve their products and services. Listening and obtaining feedback from customers helps the managers in increasing customer satisfaction because they can alter their products and services according to the will of the customers. They can also make sure that the customers get what they want and are not disappointed with the products (MacKay, 2000).

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