Resources
Active ListeningStaff Meeting in a Box
Need staff meeting ideas? Welcome to our Staff Meeting in a Box! Each month, we provide a full staff meeting worth of materials on a particular topic, taking all of the planning off of your shoulders!
This month’s topic is “Active Listening – Can You Hear Me?”! By clicking on the link below, you will be directed to our online platform, where you will have access to a 27 minute video, created by Carol Hurst, as well as a downloadable infographics for your staff!
Wellness Tip
In order to be a good active listener, someone must have a lot of self awareness. How can you convey to the other person that you are listening and understand what they are saying? The biggest opportunity is through our non-verbals, like eye contact and posture. If someone is constantly breaking eye contact to look at their watch, computer or even the door, that is communicating to the other individual that there are other things that are more important for your attention. Regardless of your intent, that is the perception. Verbal strategies include: asking clarifying question, summarizing what you heard before responding and checking in with the individual to make sure you all are on the same page.
Self reflection and management is not always easy to do, but absolutely necessary as all you can control is what you do or say. If you struggle communicating with others, keeping them engaged, or creating a comfortable communication environment, ask yourself (or others) what you can do differently to improve.
Employee Handbook Tip
Can be inserted into the “Standards of Conduct” section
Active listening should be engaged with any interaction with clients or team members. When we employ active listening, we are showing that other individual the utmost respect and value for their time. The primary strategy for being successful with active listening is to turn off “auto-pilot” and stay “in the moment” with the person you are interacting with. All employees will be expected to use active listening skills while communicating with others.
Book Review/Recommendation
4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication in Love, Life, Work - Anywhere!
By Bento C. Leal III
This book is excellent for anyone who wants to improve their communication skills in any part of their life…not just at work. Anyone who is struggling in a relationship within their life (whether that be with a partner, child, parent, co-worker) or anyone who has entered into a new relationship, or even just anyone who wants to make sure their relationships are the best they can be, should read this book!
It is incredibly easy to follow and digest. The author breaks down the 4 different essential keys to effective communication (outlined below), and explains each topic, its’ relevance to effective communication and explains how one can achieve each essential key.
Key #1: Empathetic Awareness Skill
Key #2: Empathetic Listening Skill
Key #3: Empathetic Speaking Skill
Key #4: Empathetic Dialogue
Each section has topical real-life examples and excellent analogies to help understand the broad concepts and how they can help you in the real world (and not just on paper). Each section also has exercises for you to immediately begin thinking about your current implementation of each essential key and how you can work it into your future communication with others. And my favorite part is that the book contains a “12-Day Communication Challenge” that helps guide readers through utilizing the concepts taught throughout the book into everyday life in bite sized pieces! There is nothing worse than finishing a book and thinking to yourself, “Now what?” Not with this book!
Below are a few of my favorite and impactful quotes from the book:
- “‘I-Statements’ show that your statements come from you-your thoughts, feelings, and concerns-and are much easier for the listener to receive and respond to than finger-pointing, accusatory ‘You-Statements’, which are often expressed and received as flames. The listener will react against those negative expressions because they don’t want to get burned.” (p. 68)
- “Oftentimes, just by you being a good listener the speaker can express their thoughts and feelings, sort out what’s on their mind, and even come to their own resolutions about what they need to do, and all you did was listen.” (p. 55)
- “Listening is really a very active act. It’s not simply where you throw the words (active) and I catch the words (passive). Rather, it’s you throw the words (active) and I reach out with my mind and senses to catch the essence of what you’re saying and implying (active). (p.48)
– Jesi Peck, CCFP
New Product Alert!!
The VetSupport Guide to Becoming a Leader in a Veterinary Hospital was designed to help veterinary team members become great leaders, and to help existing leaders, become the best leaders they can be. This workbook was created to teach common fundamental principles in servant leadership in a way that’s engaging and helpful. Inside, you will find 10 main sections. Each one of these sections has completion timelines, resources, discussion and writing prompts and then finishes up with a team exercise to show proficiency.
Below is an outline of the 10 sections:
- Listening
- Stewardship
- Empathy
- Building Community
- Awareness
- Commitment to the Growth of People
- Healing
- Persuasion
- Conceptualization
- Foresight
Recipe: Chia Oatmeal Parfait
This recipe makes 4 servings of the perfect on-the-go breakfast or hearty work snack. It’s super easy to make a head, and grab-and-go from the refrigerator!
- Oatmeal base ingredients
- 1 c. Steel cut oats
- 3 c. Water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbs. chia seeds
- 1/2 c. Oat milk
- 2 Tbs. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- Parfait compote ingredients
- 1 c. Finely diced pineapple
- 1/2 c. Unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tsp. Maple syrup
- 3-4 drops orange extract
- Optional toppings
- 1/2 c. Fresh blueberries
- 1/4 c. Sliced almonds
To make the oatmeal:
Combine steel cut oats, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower temperature, cover with lid, and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in oat milk, maple syrup, chia seeds, and vanilla. When fully combined, pour even amounts of mixture into 4 plastic containers that have lids. Cover with lids when cooled and place in the refrigerator.
To make compote:
Combine pineapple, coconut and maple syrup in small bowl. Add 3-4 drops of orange extract and stir mixture. Compote can be divided into 4 servings and added to top of oatmeal mixture, once it has cooled.
In the morning, grab a serving of the chia oatmeal parfait on your way to work. Add optional toppings of fresh blueberries and almonds if desired, and enjoy this cold, but hearty dish!