My February Goal is to improve my active listening skills to ensure my team knows how much I value them and their thoughts/feelings. This will help others to feel more comfortable sharing information with me, build better relationships, and avoid misunderstandings.

Specific: I will limit distractions, make eye contact, ask open-ended questions, display positive body language and facial expressions, and avoid interrupting during all communication.

Measurable: I will practice specific objectives and note any change in other’s openness and willingness to communicate. Active listening should improve my ability to understand the needs of the speaker as well as better respond to and act on what they are looking to convey.

Achievable: Yes. I will need to practice at every opportunity.

Realistic: Yes.

Timed: Ongoing, but will focus on making the skills a habit during the month of February.

Action steps: Silence phone, prepare discussion points before meetings, be mindful of body and facial expressions, focus on what is being said and not how I’ll respond when they are finished speaking, restate thoughts and feelings in my own words to ensure I have accurately received what is being said, take notes as appropriate. I will also seek out additional information on the topic of active listening to ensure I am taking all reasonable steps to improve my skills.

Possible Roadblocks: Personal bias, emotional state at the time of communication