Listening skills are the most important aspect of the human communication system. Listening enhances our understanding and helps us to make proper decisions. But in today’s life, people don’t try to listen rather like to talk only. The less listening has increased misunderstanding in our life that further has increased several problems.
We must understand the creation of nature also because we have two ears and one mouth. Nature also wants us to listen more and speak less. When we listen carefully we have a lot of scopes to learn and understand things in a better and clearer way. Listening is an art that we must learn. It will solve a lot of our life’s problems.
“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” ~ Ernest Hemingway
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”~ Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
We can learn this skill without making much effort. It is very easy to learn if we follow some well-tested steps.
1. Have the Patience to improve Listening Skills
Patience is the key to achieve anything in life. So having patience while listening is a great way to develop listening skill. Always try to listen directly from the speaker don’t try to use an interpreter or something. If we use any intermediary between a speaker and us we may not get the exact meaning of what the speaker trying to tell us.
This also affects our ability to understand things rationally. When we don’t listen carefully we form an assumption that may be different from actual.
So it is better to listen with patience and then come to any conclusion. Patience is the attribute that comes with practice and perseverance. So practise daily to be a good listener.
“Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.”
~ Bernard M. Baruch
2. Pay attention to the speaker is important for listening skills
If you want to have good listening skill then paying attention to the speaker is the most important factor. Try to concentrate on the speaker’s words and avoid any assumption. More attention will help us to understand the speaker in a better way.
Most of the times when we talk over the phone we generally involve in other activities also. This can distract us and we may end up understanding something else other than what we meant to get.
Also is has been seen occasionally that during a face-to-face conversation we often use our mobile phones to check messages and social media feeds etc. So we can not have a good focus on the conversation process because of the distracted mind.
So it is better to concentrate fully during any verbal conversation. This is the most effective way of understanding and developing listening skill.
“It takes a great man to be a good listener.” ~ Calvin Coolidge
3. Avoid distractions is key to have good listening skills
The distraction causes a lot of loss in comprehending the real purpose of a conversation. So a lack of understanding leads to bad listening. As we know listening is necessary for effective communication and success.
So try to listen to the speaker without any distraction. When we listen carefully the real meaning is understood by us which leads to success. Distraction is the root cause of all the misunderstanding in the world. We listen to someone with a distracted mind and unable to understand him fully which lead to misunderstanding.
We know that misunderstanding causes some serious damage to relationships. So the importance of careful listening can’t be ignored. But in today’s world, it’s being very difficult to avoid distractions. We have a lot of notifications in our mobiles itself that is the main distractions we are facing now.
So it would be a wise decision to limit the use of mobile and various social media platforms. With the distractions, we can’t use our maximum ability in any work. It is not possible to do any “Deep Work“. If you want to know more about how to avoid various distraction for our efficiency then read the book “Deep Work” by Dr Cal Newport.
4. Form the mental image of words
The best way to remember any word is to memorise the word by an image. This technique is very useful in retaining the words for a longer time.
So when we listen to someone try to form a mental image of words and sentences that will enhance our retaining capacity. It will also help us to improve our listening skill.
Sometimes when we attend some class or seminar we tend to forget a lot of things. In this case, mental or writing the things is a good technique that enhances our retaining capacity.
Forming a mental image is a very effective tool in face-to-face communication. The more mental image improves our memory also.
5. Body Language for listening skills
Body language plays an important role in face-to-face communication. If you have proper body language it will enhance the quality of conversation. It also increases our listening capacity. Suppose you are in conversation with someone and you start avoiding eye contact. It decreases not only the quality of talking but also your listening capacity. Listening depends on how you concentrate during any conversation.
Body language is a tool that is used for effective communication. A good body posture will increase your confidence level also.
“…most people in the world don’t really use their brains to think. And people who don’t think are the ones who don’t listen to others.”~ Haruki Murakami, 1Q84
6. Ask Questions
It is one of the effective ways of improving the listening skill and your understanding. The questionnaire engages the speaker and listener that further increases the concentration level.
If we tend to ask questions we engage ourselves fully in the discussion process.
Remember one thing while asking questions, it should not create any hindrance in your listening. Always ask questions just after a discussion or talking, don’t pile up questions in your mind during the discussion. You may end up losing a lot of things. So it is better to ask a question just after a talk.
When you start questions just after a topic, it will raise the morale of a speaker also. He will think that his words are being listened properly.
7. Practice, Practice and practice
Practice is the key to success in life. Listening skills also require a lot of practice. Your ability will enhance with practice. Whenever you start any conversation with anyone try using listening skills and keep on using them.
Try to listen to the words without making any assumptions. Also, ensure that you are receiving the correct information and you understand the meaning of the information.
So it is the practice that will enhance your listening skill. So DO A LOT OF PRACTICE!!!.
“Practice makes the master.”~ Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind
Therefore listening skills can be improved with practice and perseverance. More practice will increase our confidence level and ability to understand quickly.
So keep practicing and keep listening.
All the best!!!
Also Read : Mindfulness , Success , You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters, Believe in Yourself
