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Aside

7 Types of Listeners Part 2

By Piera Palazzolo in February 3rd 2012 2 Comments
Filed Under Leadership Development

The anticipation has been building for the second

half of our Seven Types of Listeners post. (Check out Part 1 here.) We discussed why listening
is crucial to team development, as well as maintaining other relationships in your life. Did you
identify with a listening personality?
As a refresher, from Part 1, the first 3 types of listeners are:
1. The Preoccupieds
2. The Out-to-lunchers
3. The Interrupters
The Remaining 4 types of listeners

The Whatevers
These people remain aloof and show little emotion when listening. They do not seem to care
about anything you have to say.
Tips
If you are a Whatever, concentrate on the full message, not just the verbal message. Make a
point to listen with your eyes, ears, and heart. Pay attention to body language and try to
understand why this person wants to talk to you about this issue.

If you are speaking to a Whatever, dramatize your ideas and ask your listener questions to
maintain their involvement.

The Combatives
These people are armed and ready for war. They enjoy disagreeing and blaming others.
Tips
If you are a Combative, make an effort to put yourself in the speakers shoes and understand,
accept and find merit in anothers point of view.
If you are speaking to a Combative, when he or she disagrees or points the blame, look
forward instead of back. Talk about how you might agree to disagree or about what can be done
differently next time.

6.

The Analysts

These people are constantly in the role of counselor or therapist, and they are ready to provide
you with unsolicited answers. They think they are great listeners and love to help. They are
constantly in an analyze-what-you-are-saying-and-fix-it mode.
Tips
If you are an Analyst, relax and understand that not everyone is looking for an answer, solution
or advice. Some people just like bouncing ideas off other people because it helps them see the
answers more clearly themselves.
If you are speaking to an Analyst, you might begin by saying, I just need to run something by
you. Im not looking for any advice.

7.

The Engagers

These are the consciously aware listeners. They listen with their eyes, ears and hearts and try to
put themselves in the speakers shoes. This is listening at the highest level. Their listening skills
encourage you to continue talking and give you the opportunity to discover your own solutions
and let your ideas unfold.
Tips
If you are an Engager, keep it up. People truly appreciate this about you and will likely try to
follow your example.
If you are speaking to an Engager, take the time to acknowledge their attentiveness. Thank
them for their interest in you and your topic.

Take Action
Give it a shot: Suggest some of these tips during your next team development meeting (without
singling anyone out as a bad listener, of course.) Chances are good that when your team
improves its listening skills, it will also increase the quality of engagement and respect, driving
toward more unity and success.
Are there any other good or bad listening traits you can think of? Is there an improvement your
manager or mother-in-law could make? Join the conversation and let us know!
Photo credit www.visioncritical.com

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Piera Palazzolo
Piera Palazzolo of Dale Carnegie Training wants to contribute to the online conversation about
leadership and business management with the blogging community. Dale Carnegie Training was
founded in 1912 by one of Americas most influential speakers and leaders. Today the company
continues to work with individuals and businesses to build leadership, public speaking, and
management skills that result in success.

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2 Comments in this post
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Peter Borner February 3rd 2012 at 6:50 am #

Piera,
Interesting line of thought. I think there is a huge difference between listening and
hearing. Frankly, I dont really care about someones listening style. I am much more
interested in making sure they have heard what I have to say. As a leader, I always try to
show that I have heard either through simple paraphrasing or by ensuring my actions
match my words. I have found that setting this type of example is contagious and usually
results in the team around me reflecting the same behaviour back. I then know that they
have heard rather than just listened.
Peter
o Andrea Gordon February 3rd 2012 at 10:34 am #

Peter,
Great point: by nature the best way to get this message across is through leading
by example. Showing others that we heard and understood them creates a
standard for the communication within the team. Of course every now and then
you still run into people who are oblivious to the fact that they are not listening,
but instead diverting everything you say to something relevant to their life. (This
individual is likely an interrupter too.) Thanks for reading!

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