The Importance Of Active Listening

One of the biggest challenges we are faced with on a daily basis is our inability to listen. With our overwhelming and demanding lives, staying focused on just one thing or even one conversation has proven difficult. The world is a chaotic and boisterous place; it’s no wonder our minds tend to wander off on so many occasions. This, regrettably, can cause an oversight on critical information, whether at work or social lives. The key to overcome this obstacle is to simply pay attention.

Hearing, for the vast majority, is an innate ability. Listening, on the other hand, is a skill, one that is acquired and takes years of practice before it can be mastered. We are surrounded by rigorous noise and clamor that actually hold meaning. One common misconception

According to Manuela Heberle, active listening is a merely listening and responding to one another during a conversation. Consistently, people fail to actually listen responsively when conversing. Our minds wander elsewhere rather than concentrating on the conversation. We are often distracted, partially listening, partially thinking about something else (Herberle). “Listening is key to all effective communication, without the ability to listen effectively messages are easily misunderstood – communication breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated” (skillsyouneed.com). Asking questions and paraphrasing during a conversation indicates to the speaker that you are paying

In order to effectively absorb the information, It is absolutely essential to utilize various listening methods as each situation is unique therefore should be approached differently (Young, Travis, 97). Kathryn Sue Young and Howard Paul Travis asserts in their book Oral Communication Skills, Choices and Consequences Listening in an essential ability. “As you progress from situation to situation, flexibility and the ability to adapt to new information are tools that will help you to become an effective listener” (Young, Travis, 97).

Active listening and preparation are only two of the various techniques used to acquire good listening skills. Although learning all the techniques will unquestionably make you a better listener. However, just learning the basics will certainly lead you in the right path. It is important to know that it isn’t enough to know the techniques. In order to become a successful listener one must put them to