hr bartender

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

I’d like to think we can all agree that listening is an important communication skill. And we’ve talked in the past about active listening and empathic listening. 

I was doing some office spring cleaning recently and ran across an old ATD InfoLine on listening. This one had a different view on listening that I wanted to share. It talked about understanding your own listening style. The idea being that if you understand how you like to listen, that could be helpful in understanding others and the way they like to listen. Of course, all of this leads to better communication. The four listening styles mentioned in the InfoLine are:

Analytical is focused on logic and details. Analytical listeners strive for accuracy and look for tangible evidence to support the points being discussed. If you’re talking with a person with an analytical listening style, they will want to see that you’re prepared and have data and backup for whatever you’re discussing. 

Amiable is focused on building and maintaining positive relationships. When chatting with a person with an amiable listening style, you might find that they keep their own opinions to themselves and ask a lot of questions before sharing their own thoughts. 

Driver is focused on results. Drivers aren’t afraid to speak out and share their thoughts, even if they haven’t been asked for them. An individual with a driver listening style could be perceived as pushy or direct. When communicating with them, it’s best to be direct and get to the point quickly. 

Expressive is focused on having fun. They are enthusiastic and creative. Individuals with an expressive listening style can also get bored easily. When communicating with them, it’s important to stay focused so the conversation doesn’t go off on a tangent. 

The first thing that came to mind as I was reading these different listening styles was that we might have a different listening style based on who we are communicating with and the topic we’re discussing. That’s what makes listening challenging. Being able to recognize someone’s listening style and respond accordingly.

I could see it being helpful to understand the preferred listening style of your manager or colleagues. It could be valuable when talking with them during department meetings or one-on-ones. Understanding listening styles can also be great when making requests or presenting a business case. 

This conversation about listening styles reminded me of an important aspect of communication that we don’t spend enough time talking about – that’s know your audience. Not just listening styles but also what’s the best medium to chat with them and what’s the best time of day. In the business world, we spend a lot of time trying to sell our ideas to other people. The best way to do that is by communicating with them in a way that they prefer. They’ll be more receptive to what we’re proposing. Granted, it doesn’t always mean we’ll get what we’re asking for … but the conversation will be better. 

It’s also a good reminder that we should let others know the best way to communicate with us. Are there some ways we can clue others into what we expect? And this would help them learn our listening style. I could see phrases like “let me take some notes while we’re chatting” or “how do you feel about this situation” or “I have a limited amount of time right now” or “what’s the impact of this on the future” providing some advance signals about how to proceed. 

Listening is an important communication skill. Not only do we need to be good listeners, but we need to understand how others like to listen. It will help shape communications and yield better conversations. 

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of London, England
The post Use Listening Styles to Become a Better Listener appeared first on hr bartender.
Go to Source
08/05/2025 – 12:03 /Sharlyn Lauby
SoMe: @hoffeldt.bsky.social