Silence is Golden: How Active Listening Can Transform Your Workplace Communication

Imagine a meeting where your entire team is working together to brainstorm solutions for a consistently occurring problem. This issue is something that personally affects your day-to-day role. You’ve been dreaming this issue would be resolved for a long time, and not only that, you’ve identified several potential solutions to move things forward.

This should be exciting, right? The problem that’s been impacting your daily job role has finally been brought to the forefront. This is your chance to share your ideas!

But, now imagine that you choose not to share your ideas because you don’t feel they’ll even be considered.

If this situation sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. In Engage: 2024, we uncovered that 55% of respondents feel as though their voices don’t always matter at work. They don’t feel like they’re truly listened to and that their thoughts and ideas are genuinely taken into consideration. This can lead to dangerous levels of disengagement.

Effective communication is a key factor in any organization's success. But how often do we stop to think about the true power of listening? Valuing the voices of others can be a transformative element in your workplace culture.

Wait, I think I’m a good listener…

We all like to think we listen well. It’s likely a frequent occurrence when someone comes into your office and asks if you have a few moments to chat. Sure, of course, you do!

You ask them to have a seat across your desk. With the best intentions, you try to give the person your full focus. Your email is probably dinging occasionally, maybe your smart watch buzzes, and hey – isn’t it almost time for lunch? That noise was probably your stomach growling.

Before you know it, you’ve lost focus on what the other person is trying to say. Instead of asking follow-up questions to learn more, you might even just give them a solution to their problem and send them out the door.

Sound familiar? Although your intentions were good, let’s be honest – you weren’t a good listener.

It's obvious when you’re speaking and someone isn’t actively listening. It’s just as obvious when you're face-to-face as when you’re meeting via shared screen.

Are you listening or just hearing?

Listening is more than just “hearing.” It’s actively absorbing what someone says, showing you’re interested in what they’re saying, and providing feedback that leads to growth. Listening is a skill that requires development, just like any other skill.

Impactful listeners do several things to demonstrate they’re listening. These techniques allow them to gather more information, provide better guidance, and show others that their voices are valued.

Setting aside all distractions plays a pivotal role, but non-verbal cues like body language, eye contact, and facial expressions can have a large effect as well.

Embrace the awkward silence

Impactful listeners also embrace the awkward silence. Believe it or not, silence is golden in effective communication.

When you ask a question, allow the person you are speaking with to absorb, ponder, and process before they respond. Silence can be awkward, but it’s actually your friend. When you’re quiet, you can learn more.

Allow for 7 seconds of silence to let someone think or ponder an idea. Why 7 seconds? 5 seconds is likely to cut someone’s idea off, but 10 seconds can become too much.

Silence will give you time to truly understand what others are saying while providing them time to think about their responses. If you don’t receive a response after 7 seconds, consider asking your question another way. Resist the urge to fill the conversation void!

Conclusion

Listening has a gigantic impact on workplace culture and engagement. By listening carefully, you benefit from the information being shared and gain valuable insight into the speaker.

Take advantage of those moments of silence to hone your listening skills and show others their voices are valued.