It recently came to my attention that March is Listening Awareness Month. Yes, it’s true. Pity I didn’t realize it sooner, but that’s okay because effective listening can be and should be used throughout the year and your entire life.
There are three basic modes of listening: Do you know which category you currently fall into? Be honest with yourself.
COMPETITIVE LISTENERS are those people who are only half-listening to what is being said because they are more focused on how they will respond. They are waiting for the pause in speech so they can jump right in with their own argument, opinion or thought. Usually they do more talking than listening.
PASSIVE LISTENERS are folks who are basically interested in what the other person is saying and tend to pay attention. They are attentive but don’t necessarily interact verbally.
ACTIVE LISTENERS are the ones who are totally engrossed in what is being said, they verify what they hear, they ask meaningful questions, and then engage in a genuine way. These people want to understand exactly what the speaker is saying, feeling, thinking and wanting.
Can you guess which group is most effective at listening and therefore hearing the full and complete message being presented?
Be an Active Listener if you want or need to listen successfully.
How can you make that happen? Here are just a few things you can do to improve your listening skills:
PAY ATTENTION. Look at the speaker, watch their body language, and don’t allow yourself to become distracted.
SHOW YOU’RE LISTENING. Your body language – nodding, making eye contact, exhibiting an open posture – will convey the message that you are interested.
PROVE YOU UNDERSTAND. Reiterate what you’ve heard or ask questions directly related to what is being said. Do this at the appropriate time without interrupting. Help guide the speaker to providing you with more information.
RESPOND APPROPRIATELY. Talk at the same energy level – tone of voice, rate of speech – as the speaker.
BE RESPECTFUL. If you don’t agree with what is being said, continue listening (and learning) and wait for the speaker to completely finish before stating your view.
When you fully comprehend what is being said, you are less likely to misunderstand or get confused. So learning how to be a good listener and putting it into practice are extremely important for your overall productivity and communication skills.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE? Please do as long as you let me know and include this complete blurb with it: (C) 3/27/09 by Kimberly J. McCloskey, Virtual Assistant, who publishes the newsletter “Productive Pointers” to help guide you in ways to be more productive in your personal and professional life. Request your subscription at kimberly.j.mccloskey @ gmail.com.
