This month’s topic is one that's rather overlooked in Consultancy: Active Listening.
We're not just talking about hearing what someone (we'll call them The Customer) is saying, but much more than that. We're not just talking about Listening and responding with the odd umm and ahh and nodding, but again more still. Active Listening is a skill that has to be practiced and learnt and I'd argue that Active Listening is one of the hardest skills to learn and certainly one of that hardest to master.
But Active Listening is also about asking the right questions so you can listen attentively without having to steer the conversation onto a different track. And The Good Consultant always knows the right questions to ask.
Let's look at an example. You go to see your Doctor, you hear, "the Doctor will see you now" and in you stroll. What happens? He sits you down and you exchange pleasantries to ease the mood. Then what happens? We'll come back to this example in a moment, but keep it in mind.
Let's look at a parallel example. You're The Good Consultant and you go in to see The Customer. You arrive a little early (The Good Consultant is never late), and you're waiting patiently with a coffee from the receptionist, then you hear "The Customer will see you now". In you stroll. What happens? There are a few pleasantries and you build up rapport with The Customer to put you both at ease and then it's down to business. Then what happens?
Now back to the Dr example. The Expert (in this case the Dr) asks The Customer (in this case you) relevant questions in order to help diagnose the illness. What he'll not do is go straight into describing different medical treatments and their benefits and neither should you.
So a skill The Good Consultant should possess is the same skill as a Doctor – Active Listening. You need to be able to ask the right questions, so that you can let the customer talk and you have to listen and lead the conversation so that you can find the cause of the issues. Then you can diagnose and prescribe the solution.
The first question that I ask when I'm in with a customer is "what are the problems we're facing" (I go with "we" because when you've been selected as a Consulting Partner, The Good Consultant and The Customer are a team). Then, whilst The Customer explains the (usually technical) issues I listen and I make notes. But I'm not just listening to what's being said (that's the easy part), but I'm also listening to what's NOT being said. And that's the really tricky part.
So what do I mean by listening to what's not being said? Well, one of the more straightforward elements to Active Listening is listening to HOW something is being said. Think along the lines of:
"WE'VE got problems on the network" - emphasis on the word "we've"
"We've got PROBLEMS on the network" - emphasis on the word "problems"
Say each of those sentences out loud. Done? Ok. Now, which sentence sounds like deep concern and which seems like a political dig? I'm no expert in this way of analysis, so my thoughts are from books that I've read on the subject and my own firsthand experience and research.
When I hear "WE'VE got a problem on the network", the bells ring for a politically charged undertone. The "we've" emphasises a sarcastic sentence and would make me think that this is something The Customer has been told to do, or is not overly happy about. Here, I will slightly edge the conversation on to find the underlying issue with a question such as "so The Business thinks the network is slow?" Slow might not be the problem, but it's an anchor from which The Customer can continue the conversation without referring to The Business in his continuation: "not slow, but it's the stability that's causing problems..." from knowing The Business issues, The Good Consultant can then diagnose and prescribe the solution. Think back to the Dr. If you go in and say "I'm struggling when I go up 2 flights of stairs" they need little more than that and they’ll have a good idea of what’s going on. Back to the anchor question, this also keeps The Customer on track with the conversation that you want to have and doesn’t allow them to break off in a rant about The Business. Feel free to ask about the technicalities, as The Customer will not be concerned with The Businesses issues.
If the emphasis was on "problems", this will usually be followed by the briefest of blank stares. Here we're looking at real problems and (chances are) ones which The Customer doesn't understand. So my next question will be more direct: "ok, how are the problems affecting The Business?" We don’t ask about the technical details, as it’s likely that The Customer will just be guessing. Ask about the affect of the problems on The Business and you’re likely to get a much better response.
There are many more ways to utilise Active Listening. Start thinking about body language; keep an eye on their eyes and always baseline as best you can. Baselining is where you find out what The Customer is like under normal conditions, so you can watch for signals that they're under pressure to get something resolved, etc. But, to be able to do this on a first meeting with The Customer is very difficult, even for The Good Consultant. You have to be very skilled to be able to baseline in a short period of time. But as you get to know The Customer over weeks/months/years, you'll find it gets easier and almost natural.
Active Listening takes time and practice. Practice on everyone and you’ll soon start noticing what the real issues are. Sometimes on a single sentence.
Suggested reading for Active Listening:-
How to win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Steven R Covey
Get People to do What You Want – Gregory Hartley & Maryann Karinch
Don’t be shy in reading these books – you can become The Good Consultant by just reading White Papers!!
awesome very informative
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