Listening skills are methods which enable a person to understand what another person is saying. Technology offers new ways such as e-mail to send and store messages voice communication, in person or by telephone, radio or television, is still the common way to transfer information from one person to another.
Listening skills are important because it is part of communication. It plays an important role in all aspects of communication in particular workplace situations as resolving disputes, negotiating, influencing managing difficult people and performance reviews. Also it helps you to improve your human skills and to expand your social networks.
In a business, internal communication required good listening skills for telephone and face-to-face conversation, voice-mail messages, briefings and meeting, In addition, it is also important to listen to the informal grapevine since, it plays a large role in the everyday functioning of a company. External communication requires listening for telephone and face-to-face conversations, interviews luncheons, meetings, conferences and speeches. Listening carefully to customers and clients is seen as good service. It is a good foundation of good customer relations and continuing customer’s satisfaction. There is, however, a relationship between effective listening and productivity in the workplace.
Studies show that good listeners were more likely to be promoted and that most of the supervisors had better listening skills that non supervisors. Therefore, listening is related to success at work. A listener holding a higher level position will be promoted more often than those with less developed listening ability.
However, listening is different from just hearing. Hearing is a physical process of taking in sound and unless you are hearing impaired, hearing is an easy process whereas listening is more