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Ask HN: What are some ways to improve listening skills over Zoom?

4 points by randycupertino ↗ HN
I've noticed I've been cutting people off in virtual meetings. Not sure if it's a zoom-based error but never had this issue in irl meetings. Perhaps it's because it's less easy to read body language cues when the person is finishing.

Has anyone else had this problem? And what are some suggestions to improve your listening style over Zoom?

I researched some historical threads about "active listening" which I will be reading and checking out the resources, but haven't found anything zoom specific. TY!

4 comments

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madamelic
Taking notes helps me, even if I am just doodling to keep my attention on listening.

Maybe having to write down what the person is saying and having to parse it will help you to pace yourself and also be focusing on the totality of what is being said rather than just the words.

Imanari
I think the cutting off that you experience is also caused by the audio lag in Zoom meetings.

What somewhat works is to start your sentence with a "So... " (or something similar). That way you can easily pull back if the other one was not finished and on the other hand you gently signal your desire to say something to others.

loriettanmuse
I find that repeating the last/most important three words helps, because it gives the other person the opportunity to talk more, especially if they feel cut off. This way, you come off as listening but accidentally cut them off for reasons other than you not paying attention or intentionally trying to interrupt — the lag that sometimes happens makes things worse