Research suggests it’s one of the least taught skills in leadership.

BY MARCEL SCHWANTES, INC. CONTRIBUTING EDITOR AND FOUNDER, LEADERSHIP FROM THE CORE@MARCELSCHWANTES

Photo: Getty Images

The digital era is causing a slow degeneration in our ability to communicate and solve problems. Specifically, the part of communication that points to a good leader, and which doesn’t even require speaking words: active listening.

This affects all working generations and ages of people connected 24/7 to mobile apps, texting, email, and social media. That’s virtually all of us. The speed of communicating in 140 characters or less is certainly convenient, but our ability to verbally engage with our ears is diminishing. This is not good for leadership in the business world.

Certain situations demand us to courageously step out from behind our digital comfort zones to deal directly–face-to-face or by phone–with the unpredictability of human emotions. In other words, there are instances that call for us to have human-to-human interactions, to actively listen to a problem that could otherwise get lost or not be conveyed through digital communication. This is what generations past used to do before Steve Jobs stepped on a stage at Macworld to introduce the iPhone in 2007.

Activating your active listening

Strong active listening skills in conversation are the foundation for superb human communication. Few behaviors enhance a conversation as much as attending to what people have to say. It signals respect and a sense of curiosity for what they have to say.

Unfortunately, active listening is one of the least taught skills in leadership. Studies confirm that most of us are poor and inefficient listeners. When you talk to your boss, co-workers, or customers for 10 minutes, studies indicate we pay attention to less than half of the conversation. I’m certainly guilty of that myself.

As a leader, building up your active listening skills is crucial for solving problems, developing trust, and winning the hearts and minds of people. Here are five things you can do to develop your active listening skills.