Excavating the unsaid: Active listening principles for leaders to embrace

During Ragan’s Internal Communications Conference at Microsoft HQ earlier this month, Ragan reporter and conference producer Isis Simpson-Mersha asked panelists to walk through their strategies for active listening during a conversation with Spring Green Communications COO Tia Over, Simpplr Sr. Global Internal Communications Manager Julie Miller, and Jaqueline Mason, program director of strategic internal communications at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Here’s what we learned.

Excavating the unsaid

Over began by citing Brené Brown’s “Call to Courage” special on Netflix, Specifically Brown’s idea that “courageous leaders excavate the unsaid.”

“That’s a key component of the success of a company,” said Over. “For leaders to pull out from their people what they’re hesitant or reluctant to share.”

Leaders can do this by:

Fostering active listening among new leaders