The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/271291
WWW.ILTANET.ORG 41 will most assuredly result in a communication breakdown. Relax. They will finish. Just give them time. While you're giving time, try to focus exclusively on your speaker, not on what you are going to say when they finish speaking. This is critical because the very minute you begin mentally preparing your response, you have simultaneously stopped actively listening. Listening is paying attention not only to the story, but the way it is told, the use of language, the tone of voice and the gestures of body language. In other words, active listening is also an active awareness of the significance of both verbal and nonverbal messages. Your success in active listening will depend on the degree to which you perceive and understand your customers' many messages. DO YOU HEAR ME? No two people see the world through the same lens. We are each unique. As a result, we perceive the world in different ways: our understanding of language, THE FINER POINTS It is difficult to grasp all of the above if you are not focused on listening. While distractions and interruptions often detract from our ability to give our full attention for an extended period of time, focused, undivided attention is imperative for listening. According to "Listening: Our Most Used Communication Skill" by Dick Lee and Delmar Hatesohl, it is estimated that in a typical day, 70 percent of our time is spent communicating, and 45 percent of our communication is listening. If your job is client-facing, the percentage of your listening time only grows. Whether over the phone, via videoconference, through email or during face-to-face contact, listening is made more difficult when we allow disruption. Try to keep interruptions to a minimum and unnecessary distractions at bay. Do not allow yourself to become distracted by the speaker's personal mannerisms, affectations or accent. Understanding can be lost if you are absorbed more by thoughts of your customer's quirks than the message he or she is trying to communicate. Never assume your customer is fluent in your specialized lexicon. Technical jargon should be left for technologists. When serving your non-technical customer, use simple language and remember to confirm their understanding. Your customer might not have access to a vocabulary set that allows him or her to clearly and confidently explain the problem. Listen carefully to the actual words your customer is using. Is the sentence replete with placeholders? Is he/she tentative or faltering while searching for the right word? If so, recognize your customer could be in communication trouble and avoid having your conversation turn from friendly to frustrated. Active listening also demands that you store your mobile device, stop shuffling through papers and leave responding to email for another time. These behaviors send the message that you are distracted. Focus on your speaker. Singular focus is especially important when on the telephone. Remember, communicating over the telephone without the benefit of observing your customer's body language leaves you at a communication disadvantage. A perceptive listener is a keen observer of body language. It is estimated that 75 percent of all human communication is expressed nonverbally. Ask yourself: • Are you getting the whole story? • What does your customer's body language tell you? • Are their verbal and nonverbal languages congruent, or do you perceive inconsistencies in the communication? Becoming fluent in body language will greatly heighten your ability to read your customer correctly and enables faster, more precise resolution to any situation. ZIP IT Patience is a virtue, and this maxim is never truer than during the delivery of customer service. Exercise patience with customers as they explain their problems; and remember that a pause, even a painfully long one, might not be a signal for you to jump in. Sometimes a pause can signal your customer's need to find the right word, assemble additional thoughts or review a mental checklist of agenda items. Try not to interrupt unless you are confirming your own understanding. Be patient. Allow customers to finish their sentences. And never assume you know what your customer is about to say. Attempting to read people's minds and hurrying them along by finishing their sentences, especially if they are frustrated, About the Author Lorie Peters is fulfilling her life's passion by making the lives of others a little easier — one client at a time. Lorie is the founder and Principal of Enlitened Solutions, a professional skills consultancy recognized for tackling the unique challenges of today's legal community through the development and delivery of workshops, seminars and collateral. When not striking up conversations with total strangers, Lorie can be found in Chicago where she lives with her husband, Michael. She can be contacted at lpeters@enlitened.com. 70 percent of our time is spent communicating, and 45 percent of our communication is listening.