Last post on the fundamentals of listening

5. Summarizing – Summarizing is the skill of being able to concisely recap what the speaker said over a longer period of time. The exact words aren’t as important as capturing the key ideas, feelings, or action items that were shared. It can help to take notes, summarize periodically throughout the conversation, and to follow the order and sequence of information shared by the speaker.

Don’t act like a parrot and repeat the exact words shared or add your own conclusions to the summary.


These five fundamentals may seem like no-brainers, but the truth is that most leaders don’t do them very well, or even at all.
 Just like a professional athlete continuously practices the fundamentals of his/her sport, leaders should continually practice these fundamentals of listening.