The more tense the situation, the more you need to listen.

It seems like the pace of business is moving faster and faster. There's more to do with less time. The situation changes rapidly. More things keep getting thrown your team's way.

All of this takes a toll on everyone. People get frazzled. Their nerves get frayed. Anxiety increases. Things get forgotten. And people tighten up. They have less capacity to respond well. Patience wears thinner. Responses get snappier. All that to say, it's easier for teams to break apart in the heat of the moment.

Listening serves as an antidote.

Here's three reasons why listening is so important in tense situations:

1) Listening helps people calm down.

When people feel heard, they settle down. Their nervous system moves back toward normal. Their thoughts feel calmer and less frantic. Their mood improves. This creates much-needed internal space at a time when external circumstances seem toe be swirling faster than ever.

2) Listening surfaces key information.

Taking the time to listen means you are more likely to catch details that might otherwise fly by. Those key pieces of information make make the difference between success and failure, between survival and ruin.

3) Listening connects people.

Ultimately, the only way your team will make it through this situation successfully is together. So you all need to be united. Listening helps draw out everyone's thoughts, emotions, and motivations so that you can connect them together. The more everyone is connected at a deep level, the easier it is to move forward.

So the next time you find yourself in a tense situation (which might be right now!), resist the urge to keep running faster. Instead, slow down and listen. Everyone will notice the difference.