PHSMS 4/6 - The Art of Listening

Listening is the starting point as an effective first step of a PHSMS - Psychological health and safety management system.  Here are 4 ways to truly listen to get the most information:

Quiet pauses - When you ask someone who’s experiencing distress, “What’s going on?” a long, silent pause may not be a refusal to answer you. Rather, they may be flooded with a flurry of thoughts and/or questions. When you interrupt the pause, you interrupt the other person’s thought process, and they may shut down altogether. Yes, this can feel uncomfortable as most people are not used to silence, but it can also provide the breakthrough you need to understand the employee’s perspectives

Manage eye expressions - Most body language comes from the area around your eyes as it reflects our minds interpretation of the information we are receiving.  The best way to manage neutralize your eyes response is to fill your mind with curiosity using one message: “And what else?”

Postpone evaluation or advice - People who’re distressed can have a difficult time articulating what they’re experiencing and what they need. The more we try to pressure or rush them to solutions, the more we can make the situation worse. Its best if we support the employee to come to a solution themselves, they’ll be much more committed to its success.

Reflect back - Paraphrase what the other person says.  Reflect the other person’s feelings and meanings. Sometimes the literal content of a message is less important than the underlying feelings, thoughts and opinions. Show that you’re listening and understanding. Encourage employees to keep talking.

Sometimes a simple exercise is the best way to build up your knowledge.  Here is a 10-minute interactive experience to learn how to listen to understand.  

https://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/lms/listen-to-understand/

Conclusion:  You thought listening was easy?  There are many ways to provide help through simply just listening and getting that part right. As we now know, communicating involves your words and body language.  Many leaders are in positions of authority because they think on their feet, analyze situations, make quick decisions and come up with solutions. All of these skills are important, but they can also backfire when you’re trying to work with distressed employees. This is because people who are distressed may have a difficult time articulating what they’re experiencing and needing. The more we try to pressure or rush them to solutions, the more we can make the situation worse.

PHSMS in Mental Health requires detailed tracking of policies, procedures, and practices.  Listening often translates to action, like implementing a new wellness step in your existing programs.  This entire process evolves around the critical need for capturing related documentation.  One solution is to use Workhub’s simple, all-inclusive $4 per user per month health and safety management software.  Our customer support team is always available to help and its always free to book a demo at www.Workhub.com.