Active listening boosts your influence, whether in a virtual, in-person or hybrid meeting. It demonstrates your commitment and sincere interest in hearing what others say.  Active listening is not easy and requires a conscious effort. Three ways to boost your influence by making active listening a part of every conversation:

Choose to listen

Did you know the average person only hears about 25 percent of what someone says? Active listening requires serious commitment. It means mindfully switching to listening mode every time someone speaks. Next time you’re conversing, choose to clear your mind of possible responses. Shut down your email and eliminate any distractions that prevent you from hearing another person.

Write down key points

When someone else is speaking, our minds naturally want to formulate a response. This clutter can cause us to lose the value of what is being said. Listen for conversational key points and write them down to keep your mind clear and free from distraction. This allows your mind to remain free and clear of thoughts you can easily circle back to later.

Peel back the layers

When talking to others, it’s tempting to interject, but this limits our ability to hear the message. Active listening peels back conversational layers and unpacks the message. A Harvard Business Review study found that people who ask periodic questions are perceived to be better listeners than their silent counterparts.

Next time you’re in a conversation, ask open-ended questions. Dig deeper and get to the core of what your listeners want to share