From the Mediation Matters Blog of Steve Mehta.
One of the fundamental things that a good negotiator and mediator can do during a mediation is to listen well. When listening, you will often find many great cues to unraveling the reasons for why the other side has a stated position. –Unfortunately, many litigators make numerous mistakes in failing to listen during a mediation and solely focusing on talking.
Recently I came across an article relating to listening skills in relationships and it identified the 8 ways that people fail to properly listen. The article was called the The Eight Habits of Lousy Listeners by MARIE HARTWELL-WALKER, ED.D. I thought that Ms. Walker’s points are well suited for the mediation and negotiation framework. Here are her 8 ways.
Allowing a party their say can be time consuming – and often in mediation can take up a considerable portion of the mediation time. But it is an important part of the process. Without it, many parties are not ready to talk about other topics that will help resolve the case.
Uh-huh, uh-huh” or look at their watch or scan the surroundings or fidget. You run out of interest in communicating with them because they’ve let you know that they’ve run out of patience with listening to you,” says Ms. Walker.
6. Lousy listeners have lousy nonverbal skills. People don’t realize the amount of non-verbal communication that goes on. According to one study, 93% of communication is non-verbal. According to Ms. Walker “Talking to a lousy listener is like talking to a post for all the affirmation you get.” During many mediations I have heard comments that although one party was claiming to listen, the party believed the non-verbal signals which signaled otherwise. Make sure that your non-verbal communication matches the verbal message.
7. Lousy listeners tend to see criticism or blame in the most innocent of discussions. Litigation is often too much about blame and too little about solutions to the problem. Often you will see parties focusing on the blame and not on what can be done to resolve the problem. I will often comment that as much as I would, and they would like the litigation to be over tomorrow without doing anything, it won’t happen. There is no door number three. There is only door number one and Two: Settlement or Trial. Often that helps to focus on the solution and not the blame.
8. Lousy listeners are quick to offer advice, even when it hasn’t been asked for
Now that we have identified some of the lousy skills or the lousy listeners, how do you address these issues. First, listen to the other person properly. The best way to get someone to listen to you is to listen to them.
Second, don’t interrupt the other side. Speak only when you are sure that they have finished. Third if a person is not listening to you, identify the problem. You might comment about whether the person is pre-occupied.
Fourth, consider taking a break and identifying the reason for a break. Sometimes if you comment that you are not sure that the other person understands and you would like to take a small break and then resume, it can help the other person have time in which to reflect on whether they have been a good listener.
Fifth, you might ask the other person if they could explain what they understand you to mean. This could help force them to express your feelings and you can correct them when they have not fully expressed your concerns.
According to Ms. Walker, “you might try asking for change with exquisite tact and in very small doses.”
Good listening skills can change the way a negotiation will go. Learning what not to do is a good first start in developing those skills.
To learn more about listening skills, you might look at my book at the following www.112ways.com
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