The Listening Cycle: Closing the Loop

  • Author:
  • Denver, CO, USA
Read the news article

Over the last four weeks, I’ve elaborated on what I call the Closing the Loop. You can find the articles here. This consists of:

  • Step 1: Recognizing the Unsaid – Unspoken things in your culture’s organization to recognize that your people aren’t telling their entire truth.
  • Step 2: Seeking to Understand – Leaning in to understand someone’s perspective and really hearing them.
  • Step 3: Decode – Taking time to reflect, investigate, and then ponder about the feedback you have been given and what to do about it.
  • Step 4: Act – Acting upon what you’ve heard, so your people know their voices are powerful and that you will do something about the feedback that is given.
  • Step 5: Closing the Loop – Connecting the dots by sharing what you’ve heard and the actions you’re taking.

I think, often, leaders don’t put in the time to truly learn how to listen because it may seem primal. But, the truth is, truly listening is something most leaders don’t know how to do.

Think about it – have you ever had a manager who really listened to you?

In this video, I break down what it means to connect the dots from the very beginning of the process to the very end.

Plus, I tell you about the extremely rewarding results that closing the loop has.

Hint, hint: it makes team members feel valued, heard, and included because they know that their feedback was taken into consideration and actions were taken as a result.

The Listening Cycle: Closing the Loop

I want to challenge you to write down (or think) about a time when:

You felt that your manager truly listened to you
You felt like your voice was not heard
Let’s think about how this made you feel.

Now that you have these two distinct feelings in mind, you will better understand how important completing the five steps in the listening process is.

You wouldn’t want to make someone feel like you did when your voice was not heard, right?

Of course not! So, I encourage you to take the initiative and create a Culture of Listening in your organization.

Heather R Younger is a highly sought-after speaker, 2x-TEDx speaker, diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist, and contributor to leading news outlets. She is also the Founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, a leading employee engagement and consulting firm.

After over 25,000 employee engagement surveys and years of working with organizations to transform employee engagement, here’s what Heather has seen over and over:

When you know how to listen, employees will tell you exactly what they need to bring their full selves to work for Closing the Loop.

Contact us at Speakers Inc and view WeSpeak Global

Further articles you may enjoy:

  • (34)

Elevating the Customer Experience at Airports: How Airports are Enhancing Every Passenger’s Journey For travelers around the world, airports serve as the gateway to their adventures and journeys, but this Customer Experience at Airports can often be challenging due to stress, long lines, and crowds. In response, airports have started transforming their customer experience (CX) […]

  • October 31, 2024
  • (15)

Generosity is an interesting beast. As a charity CEO, I have seen it expressed in many different ways. The best kind of generosity comes with warmth and good old NSA – no strings attached. This kind of generosity is glorious to witness and is the backbone of charity work all over the world. The worst […]

  • January 16, 2023
  • (14)

Help! I need a speaker! But why use an Agent? The value of a good agency… The conference and business tourism industry is worth billions of dollars on a global scale every year. And for many of those conferences and industry seminars, the highlight of the event is the keynote or closing speaker. With so much […]

  • January 2, 2023
  • (7)

Why our 2025 Spring Adventure Keynote Speakers Are the Unexpected Secret to Unforgettable Events Every conference planner is searching for that one speaker who doesn’t just inspire but electrifies the room — someone who turns an event from simply “good” into genuinely unforgettable. Enter the Spring adventure keynote speakers: bold, authentic, and powerful in a […]

  • April 28, 2025
  • (12)

The Future of Thought Leadership: How Visionary Speakers Are Shaping the World In a rapidly evolving world, thought leadership has become more than just a buzzword—it’s a necessity. Businesses, organizations, and individuals seek guidance from those who can provide innovative insights, challenge conventional thinking, and inspire action. But what does it take to be a […]

  • March 7, 2025
  • (39)

The Dark Side of Motivational Speaking: When Inspiration Becomes Manipulation Motivational speaking is a billion-dollar industry, built on the promise of transformation, success, and boundless personal growth. Audiences flock to these high-energy events, hoping for that one insight that will change their lives. But beneath the surface of encouragement and empowerment lies a darker reality: […]

  • February 3, 2025
  • (7)

The latest jobs report–published August 5–showed that the United States added over half a million new jobs in the month of July. Are we on the brink of an Un-Recession? Unemployment is at or a near a 50-year low. Both points add credence to a growing number of economists who are pushing back against the […]

  • December 23, 2022
  • (16)

The Mindset That Moves Mountains: 5 Speakers Who Turned Adversity into Power What if the next speaker you booked didn’t just deliver a keynote… …but ignited a fire inside every person in the room? ⚠️ These aren’t just speakers. They’re survivors, warriors, and visionaries who turned tragedy into triumph. They didn’t just “overcome adversity.” They […]

  • April 16, 2025

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get connected:

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated.

We use Brevo as our marketing platform. By submitting this form you agree that the personal data you provided will be transferred to Brevo for processing in accordance with Brevo's Privacy Policy.

Our Mission:

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025.  Designed using Voxel