What is appreciative listening?
Appreciative listening can be described as thoroughly enjoying what is being said by the speaker. Now, how does that differ from other types of listening-- like active listening or evaluative listening-- and just listening in general? Well, appreciative listening is a listening type in which you're giving your undivided attention because you're personally invested in the speaker's words and their meaning.
More importantly, how the message impacts you, makes you feel, and inspires you is what distinguishes appreciative listening from other types of listening. In this instance, an appreciative listener not only places the focus the speaker but their own empathy, as well.
Appreciative listening examples
Examples of appreciative listening include, but aren't limited to, are:
- Music
- Guided mediation
- Podcasts
- Speeches
One thing to note is that appreciative listening is subjective. This means what you hear is dependent on the speaker's thoughts and feelings. That's why instead of forming perceived notions about the speaker, tap into your appreciative listening skills by understanding these three factors: perception, presentation, and previous experience.
Three factors of appreciative listening
The three elements that determine appreciative listening are perception, presentation, and previous experiences. Your not only influenced by what you hear, but also how you interpret the message. It's much more than simply good listening or comprehensive listening.
Perception
One main idea of appreciative listening is that how you perceive the message is vital. Throughout the listening process, your opinion of what you're hearing is subject to change throughout the conversation. Take listening to a peer during a presentation as an example. This person's sound, body language, and delivery will determine whether or not the listener is engaged.
Remember, your perception is a sensory experience of the world. As a listener, your perception guides your attitude, feelings, how you react to the world, and what you hear. In the workplace, our perceptions tend to be the compass. When practicing your appreciative listening skills, take moments to soak in the details while continuing to see the big picture.
Presentation
Like we mentioned, delivery matters. To be exact, presentation matters in how the listeners interpret the message. That means being conscious of the communication, emotion, and setting. For example, when you're listening to your favorite song, it sounds a different way in your headphones versus at a concert. Those are two distinct experiences.
When it comes to the workplace, where you conduct your presentation or meeting matters immensely. Presenting your findings in a noisy common area as opposed to a private conference will impact how your colleagues will absorb the information. Part of appreciative listening means being wary of the temperature, space, style, and personality of the speaker. Don't forget to take your audience's listening style into account to make your presentation extra impactful.
"We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less."
- Diogenes, Greek philosopher
Previous Experience
Similar to perception, previous experiences allows the listener to appreciate the message in advance because they've already been exposed to it. That bake-in time allows the message to marinate so that the listener can appreciative the message even more. A good listener may use their critical thinking to bring a great question to the speaker's presentation. And not to mention, focus on the small details the second or third time.
However, just because you've been experienced this message before doesn't mean you shouldn't be open to hearing new ideas or concepts. For example, if you attend a daily standup where your teams shares similar day-to-day tasks, this is your opportunity ask questions, sync with new team members, and take time to explore ways to overcome roadblocks.
Food for thought
Only you can decide what you appreciate and what you don't. While those around you can suggest new ideas, the onus is ultimately on you. Your peers or friends can't always influence that sense of enjoyment. That's why when it comes to work, as an aspiring leader you have to package your message in a way for your team to be invested personally. And, don't forget the importance of practice, practice, practice! Communication is key.
Be aware of your team goals when you're going to engage in appreciative listening. If you're looking to expand your team's knowledge base, take the opportunity to make standups, one-on-one meetings, projects, and any task an enjoyable experience. Each member of the team should have an opportunity to share their own ideas and be a critical listener for others. Make sure to stregnthen your own active listening skill and know when to use critical listening versus empathetic listening, etc. As a leader, it's important to be the best listener in the room. That's when you'll see ears and smiles perk up.
