Learn How to Listen to Feedback

Many times we hear about people complaining that they want to listen to feedback but don't have the time to get in front of their computer, or are busy working on something else. There are so many reasons that you might want to hear from others, and they include making better decisions, getting the most value for their time, improving your business, and more. Here is a quick review of how to listen to feedback.


When you are having a meeting or doing a task you need to listen carefully to what people are saying. The first thing that you need to do is evaluate what is going on in the meeting. If you can ask them for a chance to voice their thoughts or questions, and to do it while it is still informal, this will help to ensure that they will be honest in what they are telling you. This is just one of the many ways you can assess what people are saying.

After you have heard what they are saying you should continue to ask important questions about the information that they are giving you. You might want to find out if there are any problems with the way that they are presenting information and you might want to know what they think is being missed. These are all questions that you will need to ask of your employees or business partners, and the feedback you get will reflect what your focus group wants to hear.

After you hear what people are saying you need to follow up with them and give them a chance to respond. If you can give them a chance to tell you how you helped or how you did not help them then this will give them another reason to listen to what you have to say.

The most important thing to do when you hear feedback is to give the people who are giving it a chance to get the same feedback. Most people want to hear how you helped them and how they can help you so give them the chance to hear that. This will also help them feel as though they were appreciated and that you care about them as individuals.

You may also want to have some sort of time frame where you can look at the ideas that are coming into your office to see if there are any ideas that could potentially be valuable feedback. If you look at your ideas and think that they are useful and that you will use them in your business, you may want to consider sharing them with your employees and partners. Sometimes it will help to send these ideas back to your clients and partners in order to let them know what you have to work on or ask for help in order to make them feel like their input is valued. You want to be sure that you are giving them a chance to voice their feedback that will be useful in your business.

Another great way to receive this kind of feedback is to have your team come and see what you are doing and ask questions. If you are able to do this you will be able to get a chance to talk with them and get to know the different ways that they are using their suggestions and you will also get to know them. This will make them feel as though you are listening to them and that you value them as a person.


Take the time to learn how to listen to feedback. This will be an important skill that you will need to practice on a regular basis so that you can improve your skills and become more effective. This will also make you more successful and give you the ability to communicate effectively. If you are going to get the most benefit out of your team, you will want to spend as much time with them as possible, and they will appreciate your time.