How To Listen To Solve Problems

Listening is the easiest thing in the world, but it’s not the case that you simply do nothing. Active listening comes up regularly in conversational skills training, and is important when networking and demonstrating influence skills because it can draw out information from others. Effective listening can also help with problem-solving as well as making people  feel respected and empowered.

Whether you’re aiming to prove your worth as a team member or team leader, active listening is essential.

Let’s look at a common workplace scenario:

• Theo is Gérard’s team member, and he is explaining why a client has stalled a programme.
• Gérard has eye contact and *seems* to be listening.
• Gérard cuts in before Theo has finished and proceeds to offer advice on how to deal with the client.
• However, he’s too quick off the mark. He doesn’t realise the problem is not with the client but the Sales team, who have over-promised on the timings.
• Because Gérard’s jumped in so quickly, the issue may take longer to solve and they could potentially lose that client.

Gérard has not explored the situation thoroughly and may undermine the relationship with Theo and, in turn, could potentially lose the client.

Gérard needs to remember his E.A.R.s to overcome the issue.

What are E. A. R. s?

E.A.R.s is an effective communication skills technique for problem-solving through listening. It stands for:

1. Explore

Ask open-ended questions while you are listening, such as:

• “Tell me more about that?”
• “How will that impact you?”
• “What were the causes?”

These questions will encourage more meaningful responses that reach the root of the issue.

Note that avoiding ‘Why?’ is recommended as people tend to become defensive, especially in written communication.  Questions that begin with “What” and “How” convey more curiosity and lead to to better quality answers.

2. Acknowledge

At the right moment, respond with comments such as:

• “You must be feeling …”
• “So, if I’m hearing you correctly, what you’re saying is ….”

Again, this demonstrates that you are listening and validating their comments. And at this point, the other person may clarify or expand on what they’re saying, so once you’ve acknowledged, keep quiet. Let them speak and reflect.

I’ll say it again.

Keep. QUIET. And keep listening.

The urge to fill the silence is strong. So hold that silence and you will allow key information to be discovered.

3. Respond

At this point, you can choose your response, whether it be a diagnostic opinion or a suggested course of action. Jumping the gun and going straight in with a advice before the first ‘Explore’ stage can backfire so if you do have advice, hold back until this stage.

But using the E.A.R. approach to listening elicits maximum input while showing respect for the perspectives of others.

Your Action:

1. Pinpoint your next 1-2-1 with someone.
2. Write down on your phone or a piece of paper: EXPLORE / ACKNOWLEDGE / RESPOND
3. During that conversation, ensure you’re covering each of those three steps.

Thanks to Debbie Yarwood, Founder of the Smarter Manager, who brought this technique to my attention. If you want to learn more about this and many other business communications skills, then check out my communication courses and find the right one for you.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

This article was originally published in July 2021 and was completely updated in April 2024.