Forbes’ John Ryan delivers a great reminder about the value and importance of being a good communicator in his article titled, Every CEO Must Be A Chief Listening Officer.  But it the importance of LISTENING—as an integral part of communicating well—that I appreciate most.  And he challenges CEOs (or any organizational leader for that matter ) to become  Chief Listening Officers. 

Ryan cites former P&G leader A. G. Lafley as the best example of an executive who used listening to improve collaboration and innovation. 

Ryan also enlists the help of Michael Hoppe, a retired faculty member at the Center for Creative Leadership, to offer these six ideas to be a better listener:

1. Pay attention.Turn off your BlackBerry. Maintain eye contact. Nod to show you understand. Otherwise the conversation is dead before it starts.

2. Suspend judgment. Hold your criticisms, and let others explain how they view a situation. You don’t need to agree; just show some empathy.

3. Reflect. Periodically recap others’ points to confirm your understanding. Often it turns out you missed something.

4. Clarify. Ask open-ended questions that encourage people to expand their ideas. For example: “What are your thoughts about how we might increase sales in this economy?”

5. Summarize. Briefly restate core themes raised by the person you’re talking with. You’re not agreeing or disagreeing; you’re simply closing the loop.

6. Share. Once you know where that person stands, introduce your own ideas and suggestions. That’s how good conversations get even better.

But I’d suggest that this list is missing an integral point:

7.  Affirm.  Recognize good contributions and thinking.  Share encouraging comments, such as “That’s a great observation!” or “Yes, I’ve wondered that myself,” or “Thank you for bringing that idea to the table.” Give your colleagues the recognition that they deserve.  Their collaborative contributions are important.

In my industry, getting buy-in from my clients and their team members is important.  They view me as an expert in communications, branding, media relations, etc.  But my clients are the experts in their business niche!  For this reason, I have become an expert listener.  I take copious notes.  Everything they share is important, has relevance, plays a part in shaping the outcome of our work.  Affirming their great contributions is one of my favorite things to do!