Communication Skills for HR Professionals

In my earlier posting, I had mentioned various essentials qualities of a HR Professional. Now, let us see those items one by one. At present, the most required quality of a HR Professional is that he should be a good communicator. In the sense that the HR professionals should have good listening, writing, reading and speaking skills. The requirement is not only in his own language but also he should have the capability in carrying out the business in day-to-day business in English.

Good Listener is a better Manager

Listening is not the same thing as hearing; it is not an effortless activity. It demands high sense of attention and concentration. We understand thing wrong because we have not understood what someone meant when they were talking to us. Anyone, who has ever taken the minutes of a long meeting will know how hard it is to remember - despite the benefit of the notes - exactly what everyone said. Good listeners don't interrupt. But the bad habit is that we start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject long before the other speaker has finished.

How to Improve the Listening Skills?

Face the speaker. Sit up straight or lean forward slightly to show your attentiveness .

Maintain eye contact, to the degree that you all remain comfortable.

Minimize external distractions.

Respond appropriately to show that you understand. Say words such as “Really,” “Interesting,”

Focus solely on what the speaker is saying. Try not to think about what you are going to say next. The conversation will follow a logical flow after the speaker makes her point.

Minimize internal distractions. If your own thoughts keep horning in, simply let them go and continuously re-focus your attention on the speaker, much as you would during meditation.

Keep an open mind. Wait until the speaker is finished before deciding that you disagree. Try not to make assumptions about what the speaker is thinking.

Avoid letting the speaker know how you handled a similar situation.
Even if the speaker is launching a complaint against you, wait until she finishes to defend yourself. The speaker will feel as though her point had been made. She won’t feel the need to repeat it, and you’ll know the whole argument before you respond. Research shows that, on average, we can hear four times faster than we can talk, so we have the ability to sort ideas as they come in…and be ready for more.

Engage yourself. Ask questions for clarification, but, once again, wait until the speaker has finished. That way, you won’t interrupt her train of thought.

As you work on developing your listening skills, you may feel a bit panicky when there is a natural pause in the conversation. What should you say next? Learn to settle into the silence and use it to better understand all points of view.

LISTEN has all the alphabets of SILENT. Hence, be silent while you listen