The Importance of Listening in Product Management

Effective listening is a vital leadership skill. All of us in childhood heard about the importance of listening.

Sequentlearning.com blog describes how is this skill important in product management. Here’re some interesting extracts:

Product managers and business leaders must try harder to listen with greater intent. They not only have to listen to what people say but how they say it.

Our customers talk to us, Our competitors talk as well. Are we listening properly?

Actually, this skill can be fine-tuned with some discipline and hard work.

4 tips for becoming an advanced listener

Practice active listening

Try to be an active listener. If you want a strong interaction with other people, you have to get outside of yourself. Engage in dialogues and hide your smartphone. Pay attention to body language and non-verbal cues: facial expressions and tone of voice. Track people’s responds. During the meetings, stop worrying about what you’re going to say. Instead, focus all your energy on engaging with the people sitting across from you.

Be empathetic

Empathy is the thing that happens when you relate to someone to such a degree that his pain becomes your pain. It is about compassion as well.

Delve into subtext. When another person is talking, ask yourself what he’s actually trying to communicate.  Deciphering what another person is feeling will give you insight into how to connect with him on a deeper level.

Create platforms for feedback

You may not have the resources to organize large-scale communication sessions. But there are some ways in which you can create opportunities to learn more about customers or employees. Arrange a team dinner. Monitor websites to see what people are saying about your product and so on.

Show your appreciation

If someone wants to speak with you, make sure you tell him/her how much you appreciate his/her contribution. Saying thank you isn’t just good manners. It can build credibility and establish a rapport.