Were you ever in choir as a kid or attended a school or church concert and listened to the choir? What makes a choir good versus great?

You might think it's musical talent and that would be true if you were listening to soloists, but for a truly great choir, it is the ability to listen to each other.

It's the same for ANY team. If your team is made up of a bunch of "I" players, then no one is listening to concerns, ideas and challenges. I was recently accepted as a member of the International Award Winning Sweet Adeline's chapter in Greater Cleveland.

It has been an exhilarating and humbling experience. My first trip on stage was as a five year old and I've been hard pressed to give up the microphone ever since. I sing in the church choir, solo on occasion, sing for weddings, toured with a trio in New England and feel comfortable on the risers.

However, I'm quickly learning that there is no place for soloists in a championship chorus.

In a chorus, you have to spend more time listening and blending with those around you so that the UNIT sound out to the masses is a complementary sound.

In a recent edition of Pitch Pipe, the magazine for Sweet Adeline members, there is an article entitled Is Anyone Listening to Me? By Cammi MacKinlay. It offers 10 tips for being an excellent communicator. Here are the first five:

1. Detect whether the person talking to you is expressing facts or feelings. Respond with extra care and sensitivity when the person you are listening to is expressing feelings.

2. Respond fully to the feelings that someone shares before responding with the facts.

3. Use silence when the person talking to you is sharing feelings and you do not know what to say. Simply nod in understanding and let yourself be touched by what she is saying. Resist the temptation to say something just so you are saying something.

4. Listen without judgment. A basic rule of listening is that judgments should only be made after you have heard and evaluated the content of the message.

5. Listen without thinking about what you are going to say next. Take time before you respond.

All of these tips are valuable in a business team, when dealing with an upset customer and/or with an employee issue.

We are so busy trying to get to the bottom line - we often brush over or ignore the FEELINGS in the message being communicated.

The most successful teams are made up of those who truly listen to those around them, blending ideas and complementing each other's perspectives.

Today "put your listening ears on" and see what knew you learn from your team. For more listening tips visit Erupting Mind for their post on Being a Better Listener and Speaker.

Deborah Chaddock Brown
Writer