Abstract
In the age of multitasking, it is not always easy to stop what we are doing and truly listen to those around us. Mandel, one of the world’s leading providers of communication skills for professionals, published a paper titled “The cost of not listening on your organization”. Within the workplace, not listening attributes to low employee engagement, decreased productivity, and increased turnover. This served as the impetus for the development of this project.
Stephen Covey said, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply”. Listening for the purpose of replying is not the same as active listening. Active listening is more important in nursing than in most other professions. Is there a more effective way to help create a healthy work environment then to truly listen to those around us? Whether we are communicating with patients, physicians, peers and /or students, nurses at all levels of practice need to incorporate the skills of active listening into all interactions. The impact of not listening can be detrimental to all, particularly among colleagues and those entrusted to our care.
This interactive presentation will incorporate the latest research findings along with the work of field experts to provide interventions and techniques to assist attendees to incorporate active listening into your communication with others. We will explore the differences between hearing and listening. Attendees will be introduced to the neuroscience behind listening. Characteristics of effective communication will be presented, as well as communication barriers.
The information provided in this presentation is applicable to all professional nurses, regardless of their field of practice. The information presented will be new to some and a refresher for others. Regardless of your level of nursing experience, attendees may benefit both personally and professionally from improved communication based on proven listening techniques.
Notes
References:
Bastien, B. (2018). The anatomy of genuine listening from the traditional Chinese character. https://addicted2success.com/life/the-anatomy-of-genuine- listening-from-a-traditional-chinese-character/
Chung, S. (2017). Are you an active listener? These 4 steps will prove it. https://www.inc.com/stephanie-chung/heres-how-science-active-listening-can-
take-your-selling-process-to-next-level.html
Clark, C.(2017). Seeking civility among faculty. The ASHA Leader, 22 (12). https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.FTR2.22122017.54
Cooper, C. (2020). How to train active listening in the contact center-with four exercises. Retrieved at https://www.callcentrehelper.com/train-active-listening-contact-centre-exercises-140595.htm
Dupuis, D. (2020). How to develop listening intelligence in your organization. Mandel Communications, Inc
Retrieved from www. https://www.mandel.com/blog/how-to-develop-listening-intelligence-in-your-organization
Dupuis, D. (2020). Listening to learn. Mandel Communications, Inc
https://trainingindustry.com/articles/leadership/listening-to-learn-spon-mandel/
Healthline. (2018). What’s the Difference between Hearing and Listening?
https://www.healthline.com/health/hearing-vs-listening
Edc communications.(nd). Developing effective Listening skills. Retrieved from https://thinkedc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Effective- Listening-Skills-eBook.pdf
Hadrych-Rosier, N. (2017). Are we listening? Truly hear your patient’s concern. ASRT Scanner, 49(3).
Hayes, M.P., McLaughlin, D. S. & Allison-Roan, V. A. (2014). Listening: To thine own self be true. Studying Teacher Education, 10(4), 130-145, DOI:10.1080/17425964.2014.914431
Heart Matters. (nd). 10 tips for active listening. Heart Matters Magazine
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/wellbeing/how-to-talk-about-health-problems/active-listening
Kleckner, J. (2017). 39 Awe-inspring quotes from Simon Sinek.
https://addicted2success.com/quotes/39-awe-inspiring-quotes-from-simon-sinek/
Mandel, (2020). The Business of Listening Whitepaper. Mandel Communications. WWW.Mandel.com
Mandel. (2020). What is poor listening costing your organization. Mandel Communications https://www.mandel.com/landing-pages/listening-infographic
McNaughton, D., Hamlin, D, McCarthy, J., Head-Reeves, D., & Schreiner, M. (2008)Learning to listen: Teaching an active listening strategy to preservice education professionals, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education 27(4) 223-231 DOI: 10.1177/0271121407311241
Mind Tools.(2020). Active Listening. Emerald Works Limited. Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm
Mind Tools.(2020). Body Language. Emerald Works Limited. Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/lBody_Language.htm
Mind Tools.(2020). How Good are your listening skills? Emerald Works Limited.
Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/listening-quiz.htm
Merriam-Webster. (2020). Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Muir, H. (2020).4steps to being a better active listener. Mandel Communications. https://www.mandel.com/blog/4-steps-to-being-a-better- active- listener
Sokolowich, J. J. (2020). A programmatic approach to supporting multilingual students, Nurse Educator, 45(5), 236- 238.
Schrager, S. (2020). Managing a telephone encounter: Five tips for effective communication. American Academy of Family Physicians. www.aafp.org/fpm
Thistle, J. J. & McNaughton, D. (2015). Teaching active listening skills to pre-service speech pathologists: A first step in supporting collaboration with parents of young children who require AAC, Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 46. p. 44-55. DOI:10.1044/2014_LSHSS-14-0001
Van der Kliej, F., Adie, L., & Cumming, J. (2017). Using video technology to enable student voice in assessment feedback, British Journal of Educational Technology, 48(5), 1092-1105. DOI: 10.1111/bjet.12536
Sigma Membership
Zeta Pi
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Continuing Education, Workforce, Interprofessional, Interdisciplinary
Recommended Citation
Schaefer, Florence, "How Research-Based Listening Techniques/Interventions Improve Communication and Work Environment" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 118.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2025/presentations_2025/118
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
How Research-Based Listening Techniques/Interventions Improve Communication and Work Environment
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
In the age of multitasking, it is not always easy to stop what we are doing and truly listen to those around us. Mandel, one of the world’s leading providers of communication skills for professionals, published a paper titled “The cost of not listening on your organization”. Within the workplace, not listening attributes to low employee engagement, decreased productivity, and increased turnover. This served as the impetus for the development of this project.
Stephen Covey said, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply”. Listening for the purpose of replying is not the same as active listening. Active listening is more important in nursing than in most other professions. Is there a more effective way to help create a healthy work environment then to truly listen to those around us? Whether we are communicating with patients, physicians, peers and /or students, nurses at all levels of practice need to incorporate the skills of active listening into all interactions. The impact of not listening can be detrimental to all, particularly among colleagues and those entrusted to our care.
This interactive presentation will incorporate the latest research findings along with the work of field experts to provide interventions and techniques to assist attendees to incorporate active listening into your communication with others. We will explore the differences between hearing and listening. Attendees will be introduced to the neuroscience behind listening. Characteristics of effective communication will be presented, as well as communication barriers.
The information provided in this presentation is applicable to all professional nurses, regardless of their field of practice. The information presented will be new to some and a refresher for others. Regardless of your level of nursing experience, attendees may benefit both personally and professionally from improved communication based on proven listening techniques.
Description
Utilizing research-based listening techniques has been shown to benefit organizations by decreasing turnover, increasing morale and productivity. The impact of not listening can be detrimental to all, particularly among colleagues and those entrusted to our care. This interactive presentation will incorporate the latest research findings along with the work of field experts to provide methods to assist attendees to incorporate active listening into your communication with others.