Here's how you can enhance your listening skills to better understand clients' needs.

My grandmother told me that we were made with 2 ears and one mouth for a reason. In today's age where cell phones, e-mail, and work from home create distractions its more important than ever to remember to look at the speaker, smile to know you are enjoying the engagement, and confirming back what you heard and what's next. It takes a ton of practice to be a active listener in a way that helps without distracting the speaker. Practice, practice, practice - not just at work but in other parts of your life. You will be surprised how much the positive interactions brighten your day while delighting someone else.

Listen what is being said and why it’s being said. This requires hearing as well as observing. Active listening is a skill - like any other skill this has to be learned. No body is born as a great listener. Besides formal interventions, self directed learning can help you improve. These days conversational AI simulations are of great help.

Active listening is an essential ability in communication that necessitates individuals to sustain ocular contact, employ nonverbal cues, restate and summarize, foster empathy, minimize distractions, and participate in calm environments. It is crucial to refrain from using electronic gadgets while engaged in talks and to exhibit authentic interest. To optimize non-verbal communication, employ suitable body language and diligently observe nonverbal clues, such as bodily movements and facial expressions. Partake in self-reflection and actively solicit input from clients in order to enhance your ability to listen effectively. By following this, you will be able to uphold trust and exhibit unwavering commitment to helping clients.

I am a therapist and a business nerd. In therapist school, we learned about active listening and reflections based in Carl Rogers Person Centered approach. We can apply reflections in active listening by listening to what our client is saying with an open and empathic mindset and then reflecting back what was said but with understanding. The thought is that our clients have answers within them and being fully heard helps to draw those out.

Active listening also enables you to validate the viewpoints of others while drilling down into specifics early on. This is not “answering a question with a question” to deflect the conversation, but questioning to develop a deeper understanding immediately. As a trained mediator, I prize this skill above all others.

Body language is one of the non-verbal cues that need to be paid attention in conversations/discussions with the clients. By adopting appropriate business etiquette for exhibiting body language, it is possible to gain a positive impression with the client and make the discussion more open and transparent. Sometimes, the exhibition of our body language may lead the client to misunderstanding or ending up with a wrong opinion. Hence, it is better to show signs of engagement through the use of body language like knodding heads, making good eye-contact etc and demonstrate the willingness to continue listening to the discussions/meetings with the clients.

Try and remain still and maintain eye contact, even if what you are listening to is unpleasant or challenging. As you get more experienced with truly listening, you will also learn when to interject or interrupt without causing distress to the other person. Sometimes people just want to talk at you to get something off their chest, so be mindful of that, I allow them to do that a little bit usually before refocusing them. Again, in a diplomatic way.

A linguagem corporal é vital no ambiente de trabalho, influenciando a comunicação e a percepção profissional. Expressões faciais, postura e gestos podem complementar ou contradizer palavras, ajudando ou prejudicando a mensagem transmitida. Líderes eficazes utilizam gestos confiantes para inspirar e motivar suas equipes. Durante conflitos, manter uma postura aberta e um tom calmo facilita a resolução. Primeiras impressões profissionais se baseiam frequentemente na linguagem corporal, refletindo a cultura corporativa e impactando a colaboração. Mesmo em interações virtuais, o contato visual e gestos desempenham um papel crucial na comunicação eficaz.

El lenguaje corporal está demostrado que es un canal de transmisión de estímulos y estados de animo. Es importante alinear el lenguaje corporal con las intenciones de los que deseamos transmitir, a efectos de lograr mejores resultados y evitar equívocos.

Pay attention to the client’s body language for additional context. Their posture, facial expressions, and gestures can provide insight into their feelings and thoughts. Use this information to adjust your approach and better meet their needs.

Asking questions helps to clarify client needs by uncovering their specific goals, challenges, and preferences, enabling tailored and effective solutions that precisely address their requirements. It's important to know when to ask questions. Make sure you listen carefully to every detail so you know what to ask about and avoid asking about things that have already been answered, as this may show you're not focused or interested. Instead, ask questions during natural pauses or when clarifying specific points to better understand and support the client's needs.

Sem nenhuma dúvida uma das formas mais eficientes de você realmente se conectar com seus clientes é mostrar que se interessa pela empresa dele, pelas dores, pelos processos e nada melhor que realizar perguntas sobre os temas que ele está abordando e até mesmo fazer anotações, podem ajudar que essa conexão seja mais eficiente. Para que você se mantenha 100% ligado na conversa em reuniões por videoconferências é possível utilizar de inteligência artificial para gravar e gerar ata/resumo, desta forma você estará realmente concentrado em ajudar seu cliente criando uma atmosfera apropriada para isso. Quem quiser saber qual ferramenta utilizar, pode deixar comentário aqui e indico.

In the client initiated meetings/discussions that are conducted to understand their needs, there is normally a Question & Answer session scheduled at the end of such meetings. In an attempt to make the meetings more interactive, some clients allow themselves to be interrupted during the meetings/discussions for raising questions. So, it is better to know the nature of such meetings and seek clarifications at appropriate times. Utilizing such opportunities to raise questions helps in understanding the client needs better. Also, this practice yields a two-way communication ensuring to improve our understanding and build more clarity on the client needs.

You know what they say: clients don't always know what they want. They might come to you with a problem, but it's your job, as a consultant, to dig deeper. And how do you do that? By asking damn good questions! Don't just take their words at face value. Ask "why" until you hit the core of their challenges. Ask about their goals, their fears, their dreams. When you ask smart, insightful questions, you show them you're not just there to clock in and collect a paycheck. You're there to truly understand their business and help them succeed. And that's how you become an invaluable asset, not just another consultant.

Es mas importante formular las preguntas correctas, aquellas que abren nuevas perspectivas y enfoques que resolver problemas con respuestas. Desarrollar colectivamente la habilidad de hacer preguntas permite construir una organización motivada y amigable a la innovación y la calidad.

Listening to the client with empathy and being on their position, will allow us to tap a lot of unsaid information such as emotions. By keeping a note of different kinds of emotions that are exhibited at different contexts by the client, it is possible to grasp on the emotional triggers and thereby understand any hidden views/concerns/opinions or motivations expressed based on the voice tone/style for that matter. This understanding will help a lot in understanding the perspective of the client.

La inteligencia emocional es la más ardua de desarrollar en el seno una empresa comercial, atento a que existe el mito que las emocionan son contrarias al cumplimiento de los objetivos. En realidad las emociones están, guste o no, por lo que un enfoque inteligente y eficaz consiste en gestionar adecuadamente los estados emocionales, de forma de aprovecharlas como oportunidades.

Imagine you are the person talking to truly empathise with them, what would you need to hear in response to make you feel better? This is very usually a good response and a way to build a rapport with them.

Ouvir as emoções é essencial para uma comunicação eficaz e relações interpessoais saudáveis. Para isso, é preciso ir além das palavras, prestando atenção à entonação, ritmo e volume da voz, bem como às pausas e suspiros. A linguagem corporal, como expressões faciais e gestos, também revela estados emocionais. Pratique a escuta ativa, mantendo contato visual e demonstrando empatia através de respostas apropriadas, como acenos e murmúrios de compreensão. Valide as emoções expressas, reconhecendo os sentimentos da outra pessoa e oferecendo apoio quando necessário. Essa abordagem fortalece vínculos e promove um ambiente de respeito e confiança.

Not just emotions or words. Notice the sound of your client's voice in different situations. Notice your own voice too. The tone, volume, flavour and the feeling of it flowing up your throat and out, or the feeling of it being stuck in your throat when you feel you can't say what you want to say. I'm an award-winning singer and have been teaching women how to find their voice for over 20 years. I observe voiced a LOT and have found our voices are unique but have patterns just like everything human. Extra quiet? Are they feeling silenced? Sing-songy? What are we celebrating? Shaky? Let's start with a deep belly breath. Practice in the mirror. The sound of your voice in any given moment says a LOT. What are you "saying" without saying it?

La reflexión y la meditación rutinaria es una practica muy recomendable en las personas que trabajan en empresas, tanto directivos, gerentes o staff en general. Seria muy acertado promover su uso, impartir capacitaciones y destinar tiempos prefijados que se respeten para su practica.

Um dos princípios fundamentais é refletir e esclarecer o que foi dito antes de responder. Após ouvir atentamente, reserve um momento para processar as informações. Essa pausa não apenas permite uma resposta mais ponderada, mas também mostra ao cliente que você está genuinamente comprometido em entender sua perspectiva. Em minha experiência, pedir esclarecimentos quando algo não está claro é essencial. Isso evita suposições baseadas em informações incompletas e garante que ambas as partes estejam alinhadas. Por exemplo, durante reuniões com clientes do setor publicitário, a prática de refletir e pedir esclarecimentos tem sido vital para identificar corretamente suas necessidades e oferecer soluções precisas.

Reflecting and clarifying involves paraphrasing what the client has said to ensure understanding and seeking additional information to clear up any ambiguities. For example, you might say, "So, you're finding the current system too slow and it's affecting your productivity. Is that correct?" This not only confirms that you have accurately understood their point but also encourages the client to provide more details or correct any misunderstandings.

O livro "Onboarding Orquestrado" é uma ferramenta essencial para entender e aprimorar o processo de integração de novos clientes. Ele destaca a importância de um onboarding bem estruturado, que vai além de simples instruções iniciais, fornecendo um acompanhamento detalhado e contínuo. Este método garante que os clientes se sintam apoiados desde o início, aumentando a satisfação e a fidelidade. A abordagem orquestrada permite identificar rapidamente problemas e ajustar estratégias conforme necessário, garantindo que as necessidades dos clientes sejam constantemente atendidas de forma eficaz e personalizada.

O acompanhamento pós-reunião é vital para garantir a eficácia das decisões e ações discutidas. Ele proporciona clareza e responsabilidade, confirmando que todos compreenderam suas tarefas e prazos. Comunicados de acompanhamento, como e-mails ou relatórios, resumem os principais pontos abordados e detalham as ações a serem realizadas, reduzindo a possibilidade de mal-entendidos. Esse processo também facilita a monitoração do progresso e a resolução rápida de obstáculos. Além disso, reforça o compromisso e a transparência, demonstrando que a reunião foi produtiva e que os próximos passos são claros, promovendo um ambiente de trabalho organizado e colaborativo.

One other aspect to consider is probing. Probing is subtly different from asking questions, and instead puts greater emphasis on dialog. Probing could take place by way of saying things like "talk to me more about....", or "you make a good point about..... and it would be really interesting to understand bit more about it."

Be aware of your level of cultural intelligence. If there are gaps, work to address those. In this global community we still lean into our own cultural conditioning & latent biases without realizing it. Some of our clients may come from backgrounds where Power Distance at work is great & therefore, eye contact with seniors may be taboo. We cannot view that as someone lacking confidence. It would be an misappropriated judgement. Similarly we may innocently give someone the thumbs up sign or cross our legs in a meeting, showing the bottom of our feet, or wear certain colours to a negotiation. These may not be issues for some persons but can be highly offensive to others. This is why CQ is an essential requirement for consultants.

Como en un juego de ajedrez, debes estar atento a cualquier posible variación. Y de la misma forma que cuando vamos al doctor, usualmente las personas hablamos de forma inconsciente, mencionamos lo que hacemos sin descifrar cada paso, simplemente muestra lo que nuestro cerebro considera relevante, y esto puede ser diferente para cada uno. El doctor debe entender y profundizar donde de forma curiosa y minuciosa hasta llegar a aquella información que sea de mayor impacto. No esperemos a escuchar sin preguntar, sin dirigir y sin guiar la escucha.

Not everyone is comfortable with active listening because it is far easier to “pounce” when you hear something that you disagree with. Think of active listening as hitting the pause button on your final judgment. The more active listening you do, the more you will learn. It is not uncommon to find common ground when you are engaged in active listening. It is far easier to build bridges when actively listening than it is to burn them.

In a world where everyone wants to speak, the ability to listen is going down drastically. There is difference in hearing and listening and active listening. In any profession field, we need to actively listen first from the client, patient. We can solve the problem most of the time by only listening. It helps us to understand the issues and to find out the solutions. Non verbal listening with proper body language is very important. Let’s try to inculcate the habit of active listening in our day to day life. It will definitely help us to grow further.