Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communications process.
Listening is key to all effective communication. Without the ability to listen effectively, messages are easily misunderstood. As a result, communication breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated. If there is one communication skill you should aim to master, then listening is it. Having good listening skills can bring good things not only in personal but also in professional life. Listening is very important that many top employers provide listening skills training for their employees.
This is not surprising when you consider that good listening skills can lead to better customer satisfaction, and fewer mistakes. Listening is not the same thing as hearing. Hearing refers to the sounds that enter into your ears. Listening, however requires more than that. It requires focus and concentrated effort, both mental and sometimes physical. Listening is not a passive process. In fact the listener can and should, be at least as engaged in the process as the speaker. In other words it means being aware of both verbal and non verbal messages and the ability of listening effectively depends on you and the way you understand the meaning of the messages. Barriers to Effective Listening.
To improve the process of effective listening, it can be helpful to turn the problem on its head, and look at barriers to effective listening, or ineffective listening. For example, one common problem is that of listening closely to what someone is saying, we often get distracted after a sentence or two, and instead start to think about what we are going to say in reply. This means that we do not listen to the rest of the speaker's message. We may also be distracted by the speaker's appearance, or by what someone else is saying, which sounds more interesting. These issues not only affect you, but you are likely to show your lack of attention in your body language. Generally, we find it hard to control our body language, and you are likely to show your distraction and / or lack of interest by lack of eye contact, or posture. The speaker will detect the problem, and probably stop talking at best. They may be very offended or upset.
This is not surprising when you consider that good listening skills can lead to better customer satisfaction, and fewer mistakes. Listening is not the same thing as hearing. Hearing refers to the sounds that enter into your ears. Listening, however requires more than that. It requires focus and concentrated effort, both mental and sometimes physical. Listening is not a passive process. In fact the listener can and should, be at least as engaged in the process as the speaker. In other words it means being aware of both verbal and non verbal messages and the ability of listening effectively depends on you and the way you understand the meaning of the messages. Barriers to Effective Listening.
To improve the process of effective listening, it can be helpful to turn the problem on its head, and look at barriers to effective listening, or ineffective listening. For example, one common problem is that of listening closely to what someone is saying, we often get distracted after a sentence or two, and instead start to think about what we are going to say in reply. This means that we do not listen to the rest of the speaker's message. We may also be distracted by the speaker's appearance, or by what someone else is saying, which sounds more interesting. These issues not only affect you, but you are likely to show your lack of attention in your body language. Generally, we find it hard to control our body language, and you are likely to show your distraction and / or lack of interest by lack of eye contact, or posture. The speaker will detect the problem, and probably stop talking at best. They may be very offended or upset.
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