Listening "The Neglected Skill"

Certain skills, once mastered, enrich our lives forever. Listening, the neglected skill is truly valuable in every aspect of life and business. Listening affects all communication and we spend more time engaging in listening than any other form of communication, yet we still practice unlistening. Listening is the deliberate process by which we receive, understand and retain aural stimuli. Almost everyone can hear, but few can really listen well. Effective listening is hearing and understanding the message being sent and using body language to confirm that you are listening. There are six skilled areas that must be developed in order for us to become effective listeners. In these stages, we refer to the “HURIER” model. The first stage is hearing, this is the process that occurs automatically or involuntarily. It requires no unconscious effort and it is the psychological process by which we process sound. We then understand, remember, interpret, evaluate and respond to the message. Good listening is important and at times crucial. Listening is referred to as the neglected skill because the listening performance declines at some point due to barriers. We always tend to find some reason or excuse for not listening effectively. Sometimes we do not listen because we are preoccupied; we have so many things to think about. We often miss the point that the person is trying to say because we are thinking about what we are going to say, rather than what the speaker is saying. We often find ourselves talking when we should be listening, by doing this we miss a lot of the message. In order to facilitate effective communication, we must improve our listening skills. This can be accomplished by being prepared to listen. By giving the speaker your individual attention or simply doing some research or homework before, will make you a little more prepared. Listen for main ideas and try to remember key points from the message. Body language and eye contact is very important in the communication process. Looking at the speaker and giving the right body language shows the speaker that you are listening. After the speaker has finished the conversation now is the time to ask questions and reflect back. This shows the speaker that you were really listening to the message and if something was not understood before, you will be able to understand now. Communication is a two-way process and therefore we must share the responsibility for it to effective. When we practice effective listening we gain information, understanding, listening in return and corporation. By achieving this, the communication process is now complete.