Listening is an important element in communication that most businesses can improve to their benefit. For various reasons, many people do not listen as well as they should whether at business or in most other social situations.
Not listening causes breakdowns in communication and thus leads to problems like errors, delays and bad relationships among coworkers, employees and clients.
Why people do not listen
In many cases, people fail to properly listen because they feel overloaded with tasks, problems and responsibilities. They view listening as a distraction rather than as something that can actually help solve many of their problems and reduce their workload.
Many people believe they listen when they are actually only hearing. The difference between listening and hearing has to do with comprehension. Some studies have shown that most people only comprehend about 50 percent of what they have heard even when they think they are listening.
In many cases, the difficulty in listening involves problems with concentration.
How to become a better listener
The first step in becoming a good listener is to learn how to concentrate. Proper concentration requires the right balance of focus because it is possible to concentrate too hard. When one is focuses too much on every detail of the speaker, they often miss the big picture that the person is trying to convey.
Listening requires a type of relaxed concentration that is very natural. Obviously you must avoid distraction, but should not strain at comprehending in any way. Also, controlling one’s emotions and not forming conclusions too quickly is important. Oftentimes, speakers may say something that rubs you the wrong way, but is important to hear everything out before deciding to shut out that person. Try to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Avoid getting distracted on attributes of the speaker rather than on what they are saying. In some cases, listeners will take note of the personal appearance, the race or ethnicity, the language accent or speaking patterns, rather than concentrating on what actually is said. Do not let these common distractions get in your way of listening, or you will may quickly find that you have missed many important points.
Become an active listener
One easy way to improve your listening skills, is to become more responsive to what the speaker is saying. Think about each important point made and ask yourself whether you have any questions on any of these points.
Always be alert to any information that you need further clarified. Also, try to discern what the speaker considers important by observing cues such as body language and voice intonation. Sometimes gauging the emotion of the speaker allows you to better understand the message they are trying to get across.
Ask good questions as this further stimulates both you and the speaker toward better communication. Make sure your question does not betray the fact that you have not been listening though! With some thoughtfulness, everyone can become a better listener and help improve the business environment.
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