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Listening as an important aspect of communication
Listening as an important aspect of communication
The importance of effective listening
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Theoretical
According to listening expert and researcher Dr. Ralph Nichols "The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them”. Listening as Nichols points out is both necessary and an integral aspect of the communication process and is one of the most important skills one can acquire. Although critically important in everyday and professional affairs the specific skill of effectively listening unfortunately is lacking in most people. The ability to listen effectively significantly impacts all relationships be it professional, personal or social. The prevailing issue with effective listening however is two-fold, in not truly understanding the meaning of listening and not possessing the tools required to be an effective listener.
The skill of listening according to Dr. Robert Bolton (1979) extends beyond simply hearing sound as a physiological sensory process but instead requires and involves interpreting and understanding the sensory experience or what is being heard (p 32). It also is an active experience wherein the listener is fully engaged and has absorbed the information of the speaker while showing interest and providing feedback all while demonstrating that they have heard and understand the message. It is a fair assertion that most people in varying relationships and environments listen in what is considered a passive capacity or only digesting and processing bits and pieces of the speaker’s message. This type of listening lends itself to frequent miscommunication, mixed messages and overall misunderstandings. Effective listening on the other hand provides concise communication, decreases interpersonal conflict and mistakes and also...
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...ividuals that truly listen and acknowledge those ideas and message. In today’s workforce perfecting the skill of effective listening is an ability and technique that can lead to growth and success if properly applied. Finally, as Nichols’ accurately accounted “listening is hard work” (1961) and I believe that it is a skill that must be proactively developed and honed over time requiring concerted and focused effort (Nichols, p. 124).
Works Cited
Bolton, R. (1979). People skills: How to assert yourself, listen to others, and resolve conflicts (pp. 1-113). Englewood, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Hamilton, C. (2011). Communicating for result: A guide for business and the professions (9th ed., pp. 123-130). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
Nichols, R. G. (1961, March). Do we know how to listen? Practical helps in a modern age. The Speech Teacher, 10(2), 118-124.
Listening is an important skill that many people take for granted. Listening empathelicay means putting oneself in “someone else’s shoes”. Listening only to get information takes away much of what the speaker is saying, by being able to empathize with someone one is on the same wavelength. In this world, there exist many different cultures and subcultures.
James C. Petersen (2007), author of Why Don’t We Listen Better, offers practical advice on how to communicate effectively and connect with others. In order to help his readers, communicate effectively, Petersen (2007) divides his book into five divisions. Each division builds on the content in the preceding portions. Every segment provides a great amount of information, which will aid people in how they choose to communicate.
The Importance of Listening for Professional and Personal Relationships Listening is essential for communication, yet is a skill in which most are lacking. Though we are listening constantly, knowing what to listen to requires an enormous amount of discipline and practice, which is vital for communicating effectively. Learning to listen will benefit all relationships from professional to personal and not being able to listen effectively can cause these relationships to deteriorate. “Indeed, although aware of the instrumentality of listening, even trained communicators often fail to listen correctly or at opportune times” (Cline, 2013). In order for all of areas of communication in an individual to flourish, listening must be emphasized.
The book Why Don’t We Listen Better? Written by James C. Petersen (2007) is about improving listening and other communicating skills that can improve relationships with others, both professionally and personally. In this book there are five major divisions. Petersen shares why communication is important and gives a brief description of what can be expected throughout the book. Petersen (2007) explains the Flat-Brain Theory of Emotions. The Flat-Brain Theory of Emotions explains how our emotions, thinking, and relating abilities work affects the way we communicate. Stomach functions consists of our emotions or feelings that let us know when we’re uncomfortable, happy, irritable, interested, angry, and resentful. Heart functions reminds us how
For example, James Van Fleet sheds light on the most effective strategies you can take and use in every one of your relationships with every communication and moment of interaction with others. For example, one of the huge components of good communication is active listening. Though "listening" by itself may seem mundane, Van Fleet presents real-life examples of how this works. One of the benefits of Conversation Power is the fact that you can listen to this audiobook repeatedly for different occasions.
Employers train their employees in order to be good listeners to their customers for better communication as well as for productivity. Business leaders know that listening is such an important skill to their employees, so it should be considered for each employee as an unshakeable foundation of success.
James Petersen’s book, Why don’t we listen better? Communicating and connecting in relationships, outlines the requirement for a continual use of good communication, through a series of actions and steps, by the practice of comprehending, dynamic listening, and actively perceiving. Listening then becomes a creative force that creates a context in which the development of a communicative relationship can foster.
Throughout my life I have had struggles communicating to other individuals, because instead of having a normal conversation with another person, it seems I am only part of that to be a listener. When I started thinking about this topic I realized that the fault didn’t lay on the other person but on me for not being able to express my experiences in the simple way other do. It is a fact that not everyone knows how to communicate, and to this properly, there are many factors that go in that need to be learned. In order for communication skills to improve we must be receptive of our own capacity to effectively understand what a proper conversation with another person is like while still having in consideration that
The purpose of this self-assessment is designed to help me establish my strengths and weaknesses on various dimensions of active listening (McShane & Von Glinow, 2016, p. 250)
Hamilton, C. (2008). Communicating for results: A guide for business and the professions(8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.
A vital aspect of interpersonal communication is the style in which one listens. While every individual possesses their own preferred method of listening in communication, it can be enlightening to analyze our own strengths and weaknesses so as to maximize effectual communication. Within the confines of four main listening style categories, I have chosen those which best describe my own personal listening style.
As a professional in today’s society, it is greatly important to be able to communicate effectively with other professionals, with clients, and with those that are encountered in daily living. In order to communicate in a proper manner, not only is talking and non-verbal communication, but a large aspect is the ability to listen. Listening is a vital task in order to build a relationship and find meaning in someone else’s words. In order to find this meaning one must follow the characteristics of active listening, face the challenges to listening, and reflect upon one’s own listening skills.
The importance of listening effectively is obvious to our everyday activities. The fundamentals of listening appear to be quite simple; however, with a little thought on the matter, the depth of the listening is far from basic. The similarities between hearing and listening can be deceiving. Hearing is a physical process and listening is both physical and psychological. There are several purposes of listening. If you are a good listener, it will be a huge help in school, at work, in relationship, and in other situations. Another positive benefit of being a good listener is the ability to easily express information and communicate with others. You can listen to understand, listen to appreciate and you can listen critically. Dr. Laura Schlessenger is a perfect example of a professional listener who applies various listening techniques in her occupation.
One of the main aspects in communicating is listening. An effective listener is one who, not only comprehends how the speaker feels but, also understands what they are stating. Building a strong connection between the speaker and the listener is one of the first steps to become a good listener. By building this connection speakers should first be in an environment with open minded listeners, it makes them feel more comfortable to state their opinions, feelings and ideas. Listeners should avoid being judgmental. The individual does not have to agree with the ideas, values or opinions of the speaker; however, to fully understand them, one must put aside their criticism. Speakers will believe that they can trust the listeners with their information when they know that they will not be judged. Miscommunication happens frequently, listene...
Listening is one of the most powerful tools of communication and is a process that is used to receive, convey a meaning, and respond to both verbal and nonverbal messages. It is what we choose to do and it requires more work than speaking. Oftentimes, people simply misunderstand the difference between listening and hearing. Hearing is a passive process that takes in sounds and noises and listening is what you choose to do. This selective process includes 5 phases that can be acquired for us to become effective listeners in the future. The 5 phases are attending, understanding, remembering, critically evaluating (listening), and responding. Once the 5 different areas are understood, we will become aware of what needs to change and how we can change them. This will also allow us to improve our listening skills in the workplace, school, at home, etc.