Do You Hear Me? | Active Listening in a Virtual Environment

Welcome back to The Art of Strategic Communication where this week we are going to dive into the topic of active listening in a virtual environment! 

This week has been full of exciting events and interviews for me! Not only have I experienced an exciting new virtual event, but I have also been participating in the interview process for a new job opportunity that has been presented to me. 

To begin with, let's discuss the exciting virtual event that took place. 

This week, one of my friends, Kirby, was finally able to get married! However, what made this wedding so unique is that she was able to stream her service on Facebook live so that all of her friends and family members could be a part of her special day despite COVID-19 restrictions. 

Now maybe some of you have already experienced a virtual wedding, but it was the first one I was able to attend and it was such an awesome experience! While those of us watching online were not in attendance physically, we were still able to wish the couple a lifetime of happiness by typing in the comments section and signing her virtual guest book through a google form link listed in the description of the video! 

One of the ways Kirby allowed me to be a part of her big day was by creating a physical printout of her virtual guest book in cartoon form! 

Here is the cartoon drawing of the couple that she asked me to create:

The final printout will be surrounded by the signatures and messages of everyone who left warm wishes on the google form and the in-person guest book! What an awesome idea!

Besides the virtual wedding I was able to attend, I have also been interviewing for a possible new job opportunity. This has honestly my very first professional job interview experience and while it has been extremely nerve-racking at times, it has also challenged me to become an overall better listener and strategic communicator.

The overall interview process has spanned over a two-week period, and I should hear back on whether or not I am hired before the end of this week. This process has consisted of an initial online application, two in-person interviews, and one virtual interview—all with different audiences. 

Here is a photo of me trying to test my webcam and microphone, as well as rid myself of nervousness before my virtual interview:

The in-person interviews seemed almost natural. I had to create and present a presentation as if I was speaking to the consumer I will be addressing if I receive the job. This presentation took a lot of time and effort to put together because I wanted to make sure the receivers were actively listening to every word. I wanted to be mindful of creating opportunities for the audience to engage during the presentation.

The presentation was about seven minutes long, and I used a PowerPoint presentation to accompany me while I was speaking on the subject matter. During the presentation, I suggested that the listeners write down any questions they may have about the subject matter. Afterward, I was able to spend time answering any questions they had and elaborate on some subjects that needed more attention. I am used to doing this style of presentation for school projects, so it felt very natural to me. However, I found the online interview to be significantly more challenging.

While speaking during the virtual interview through the Google Meet platform, I found myself struggling to determine if I was engaging the listeners. I felt discouraged when it was over because I simply could not tell if they were actively listening and understanding what I was saying, or if I needed to reiterate certain points. 

That was when I realized that many strategic communication professionals are wondering the exact same things during their day-to-day jobs when meeting with clients. In fact, each interview committee I met with asked me how to combat this issue multiple times throughout the interview process.

I have now had three different interviews where one of the main underlying themes in question was:

"How would you use the internet to actively connect with potential consumers in an online environment?"

 

Off the top of my head, I came up with simple surface-level responses like: "We must use videos to show what this organization is truly like in person." and "We could use interactive web games like Kahoot! in order to have the consumers engage." However, I know now that doing these things is only a simple starting point for truly authentic active listening and engagement in a virtual environment.

Online engagement that produces results must begin by capturing the attention of the consumer in a way that promotes active listening. While many of us are getting used to the idea of virtual classes, presentations, and meetings, we must all make a continuous effort to improve our soft skills such as active listening. According to Aptimore, active listening is about acquiring information and building or maintaining relationships. 

Many of us have been taught that active listening requires us to agree with communicators by making small gestures or noises or to summarize what they have said in the form of a question at the end of their presentation, but how do we do those things when our microphones are muted while another person is speaking? Do we simply nod? Do we take notes to ask at a later time? 

The answer is this... 

1. We MUST be authentic.

In order for our audiences to actively listen to what we are saying, we must present information to them that comes from an authentic place. You can use whatever tools you want in order to reach the audience photos, videos, blogs, etc. However, if you are not being authentic with the information you are presenting—people will stop listening. 

2. We MUST be active listeners.

Many people today are longing for connection. They want someone to slow down long enough to listen to them and hear what they are saying. In order for people to actively listen to us as communicators, we must actively listen to them. By actively listening to our consumers, we can determine what they want and how we can give it to them!

3. We MUST be consistent.

In order for organizations and strategic communicators to stay engaged with their consumers and create active listeners in a virtual environment, the messages sent out must be consistent with one another. Consistency builds character, and character builds an audience. People no longer make decisions based solely on the product or idea alone, they want to know why they should buy into that product or idea. 

In order to promote active listening in a virtual environment, we must be committed to learning every day how to become better listeners ourselves and then implementing what we now know into our everyday environment—no matter where that may be.

References:

Lindsay, K. (2020, May 27). The art of listening in virtual teams. Retrieved April 01, 2021, from https://www.aptimore.com/article/the-art-of-listening-in-virtual-teams/