What Great Listeners Actually Do

Published: August 19, 2019

In our experience, most people think good listening comes down to doing three things:
• Not talking when others are speaking.
• Letting others know you’re listening through facial expressions and verbal cues.
• Being able to repeat what others have said, practically word-for-word.

However, our recent research suggests that these behaviors fall far short of describing good listening skills. We analyzed data describing the behavior of 3,492 participants in a development program designed to help managers become better coaches. We learn what the great listeners actually do.