Here's how you can enhance communication by improving your listening skills as a program manager.

When in a discussion, are you listening to challenge? To respond (or interrupt) with your point of view? To identify a flaw in what is being said by others? Instead, focus on listening to understand. To have a grasp of what is being said by others. To internalize that important information and seek its value. Then reflect that understanding in your response, which is a confirmation that you heard what was actually being said. (Seek first to understand, then be understood - Covey)

Active listening plays an important role in a PgM life. There is a signigficant difference between 'hearing' and 'active listening' where the latter focusing the tone, body language, and underlying emotions that help to grasp the complete message. Also there is a thump rule which fosters this thought -- i.e, 'when in doubt, do ask'! (Don't go with any assumptions). Another great tool is - rephrasing/paraphrasing which helps in clarifying the points discussed and connect with the team/group

This is entirely correct👌 and as a Program Manager, I/you should always listen to understand not to simply respond! Active listening is also a form of showing respect to the person talking which raises their self-esteem and confidence. This productively leads to program ownership and success! Remember, everyone’s opinion matters & must be treated as such regardless of whether its ideal or not. Thanks

Active listening is an essential skill for effective communication, especially in the capacity of a program manager. Through empathy, clarifying questions, and constructive feedback, you cultivate an environment where individuals feel valued and heard.

Active listening also builds trust, it puts the team at ease expressing themselves. It shows that Program manager is approachable, which helps uncover any issues, challenges and conflicts the team is facing.

Facial expressions, gestures, and eye gaze are often identified as the three major types of body language. Body language is a range of nonverbal signals that you can use to communicate your feelings and intentions. These include your posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures.

Eye contact is essential. It isn’t everything but it does let the person you are listening to know you are engaged and captivated for the moment. In turn the speaker is now tracking your interest and ensuring they hold your attention.

Empathy requires us to put aside our learning, culture, knowledge, opinions, and worldview purposefully in order to understand other peoples’ experiences of things deeply and meaningfully. It requires a strong sense of imagination for us to be able to see through another person’s eyes. Its an approach derived from a willingness to deeply understand and prioritize the social emotional needs of another during a crisis or time of difficulty.

In program management you're going to be doing a lot of listening. Listening to your business owners who are making requests, listening to team members who are trying to help get the job, listening to users providing feedback. It's important to go into those conversations, as much as you can, without preconceived opinions or judgements. Especially in feedback sessions you should not be trying to solve the problems, just gather the feedback. By being empathetic towards their issues you'll collect the best feedback which will enable you to make the product better.

Distractions can cost you valuable time. Focus on completing the most critical tasks first, and avoid getting overwhelmed by minor tasks that can be dealt with later. Block out focus time. One of the most powerful strategies for avoiding interruptions is to block out time in your day for deep, focused work.

When you're a leader engaging in a brainstorming session with your team, it is important to be open to different perspectives being shared by your peers. One way to do this is to allow a dialogue between yourself and each one of your peers, taking their ideas into consideration. Make sure you completely understand each point of view by asking follow up questions. This will instill confidence in your team that you're fostering a collaborative discussion through active listening.

This involves paying careful attention to what a person is saying and letting the person know that they have been heard and understood. It is a specific type of listening where a listener focuses on the content, its accompanying emotions. Reflective listening promotes trust, effective problem-solving, and a healthier work environment.

This is key in enraging the conversation actively, reflecting on the speaker, using their words and ensuring they know you heard them and understand. In query it helps to reiterate the context and ensure the speaker knows what you understood from your point of view. Very helpful to position your question with understanding and how it is stated.

The way to improve your listening skills is to practice "active listening." This is where you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, the complete message being communicated. In order to do this, you must pay attention to the other person very carefully.

Taking a dialogic approach to leadership is a very powerful communication skill. When you listen to respond you have met your goal. When you listen to understand you gain cooperation. However when you question not just for understand but to find out the thought processes and factors that went into someone's arrival at a position, you gain insight that helps you truly connect to someone. We all have different perspectives and experiences that have cemented in as biases and standards that we build upon. If you don't quite understand how someone arrived at their decision then question the thinking processes that help them arrive there. No belief is irrational. You just don't understand how they got someplace so different than you.