Listening is defined as applying oneself to hearing something. In verbal communication it is to hear while giving attention to what is being said. It is an ability that can be cultivated and practiced into a skill. From this standpoint it can be viewed as an art. As a public speaker, it is an art to be mastered.For your message to reach the ears of those you speak to, you need to know what they want to hear. Everyone has a job to be done. You can only find out what that is by listening to what your audience is saying prior to preparing your speech. The importance of listening in communication is enormous. People often focus on their speaking ability believing that good speaking equals good communication. The ability to speak well is a necessary component to successful communication. The ability to listen is equally as important. A person who listen well tend to work better in a team-based environment. Team members are usually assigned a portion of the work. Later, their completed tasks will need to fit in with other team members results. Those who were able to listen well and perform accordingly will find their work results fit better than those who misunderstood. Listening in business communications develops strong business to business relationships. When businesses work together, their intention is to produce a win-win situation where both business benefit from the communication. Listening skills enable the partners to have a clear understanding of what each company expects or wants from the relationship.
Ways of Learning the Art of Listening:--
Not everyone intuitively knows how to listen well. The following tips below can help a person in learning the art of effective listening
-Maintain eye contact with the speaker This will demonstrate to the speaker that the listener is paying attention.