Consulting Journal: Techniques - Are you listening?

Techniques: Are you listening?

by David Blakey

Listening may be a natural attribute of some people, but with most of us it is a skill that has to be learned.

[Thursday 21 June 2001]

Consultants need to understand large amounts of information in order to assist their clients. While much information may be available in documents, some information is likely to be given to them in meetings with their clients. Consultants need to be good listeners.

To be a good listener, you have to be able to put aside your role as an expert. Actually, the more of an expert you are, the more likely you are to be able to put it aside and just sit and listen to what you're being told. Let me explain why.

When it comes to listening, older consultants are likely to be better. They are less likely to feel a need to impress their clients with their own knowledge and experience. They are often more likely to give their clients due credit for success, even when this success has been achieved without their help.

Not all of this has to do with age. It just happens to be exhibited by experienced consultants. The main reasons for it are a consultant's experience and seniority.

The younger consultants in a consulting firm tend to have little real practical experience and little seniority within the firm. They mainly earn less money than their clients. This is an important consideration, because it is one of reasons why younger consultants feel that they have to prove themselves.

Older consultants usually make more money than their clients. If they didn't, they would move out of consulting and back into mainstream management. They don't feel a need to prove themselves to anyone, except by results.

They certainly do not feel a need to prove themselves during client interviews.

My tips

So, here are some tips if you're new to consulting.

Don't waste valuable listening time by thinking of what you are going to say next. Many younger consultants think that they should always have an answer ready or be able to make a suitable response when their client stops speaking. This isn't so. People will be more impressed by your ability to listen. If you're interviewing someone to get information, then that's what you should be doing.
Don't be afraid to admit ignorance. This goes with the previous point. There is nothing wrong in sitting in front of clients, listening to what they have to say and then asking them to explain particular points to you. If they use a term or mention a technique that is unfamiliar to you, you should ask them for clarification. But there is one possible problem with this approach. If your client mentions a technique that is generally used, then you will look silly if you ask about it. So you must know standard management techniques before you start consulting. It should be acceptable for you to ask if the technique is one unique to the client's industry and if you are not presenting yourself as an expert in that industry. So it would be acceptable to ask about ‘optimal deprival valuations’ within the electricity industry but not about standard methods for capitalization and depreciation of assets.
Don't worry about silence. Many people who are new to consulting seem desperate to fill silences, even if they're filling them with nonsense. If you need time to think or to make notes, then say so. Older consultants tend to listen to their clients' responses and then say ‘I'll just make a note of that’ while they write their notes. They may even read their notes out loud as they write them for confirmation that the notes are correct. It is during the writing of notes that experienced consultants will think of their next questions to the client.

With these points in mind, and the ability to ask intelligent questions when extra information is needed, you can become a seasoned, professional consultant. And you will certainly look like one.

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