Listening Skills

Listening Skils: Overview

In simple words, listening skills refer to the ability to pay attention to what other people are saying and interpret them. Listening is a very important skill. People listen to what others are saying to

• Obtain information 

• Understand and interpret

• Enjoy and learn

Listening with concentration is very tough, as research shows that people only remember 25 percent to 50 percent of what they hear. Improving listening skills can enhance one’s productivity and influence others. In business scenarios, proper listening helps a lot in negotiation and persuading clients. It also helps to avoid conflicts and clear misunderstandings, and these are considered necessary attributes in the business sphere. 

Listening skill is a crucial skill in communication and plays a vital role in building and expanding business. It also decreases the scope for errors and  increases confidence. It also has some other benefits, such as making people more popular, sharpening their leadership skills and even building a personal brand and expanding their business network. Popularity and a positive personal brand are two key tools to succeeding in business. But in a world full of digital distractions and too much information, people have lost their listening skills. It is very important to hone this life skill. 

One should stop partially interacting in conversation and should fully concentrate on one thing at a time. It helps to understand the person who is speaking, empathise with its cause, build a relationship of trust with him, and that helps people expand their business network. While participating in a conversation, one should avoid other distractions such as putting the cell phone on mute and focusing on the conversation. While participating in a conversation, it is always good to make eye contact as it indicates full concentration. It helps to create a positive image in the speaker’s mind. 

An impression can be made in the blink of an eye. So, making eye contact with the speaker makes the listener feel confident and also makes a positive impression. When a conversation starts, it is good to take time to find common ground with the speaker and bond with him accordingly. 

The Importance of Listening Skills

Listening skills are a very important aspect of communication. The whole communication process consists of two parts, such as: 1) listening to others and 2) expressing oneself. But people often tend to forget the first part and put emphasis on the second. Some reasons for the importance of listening skills are listed below, such as

Listening helps to build trust. It helps to recognise the speaker’s interests and find common ground with them. It helps to make the speakers feel more connected and builds a relationship of trust. The speaker will also feel validated and recognised and will be more open while communicating. Making eye contact, avoiding other distractions, etc., is the sign of fruitful and effective communication. 

Listening clears up misunderstandings. Misunderstanding is a very common problem in the business sphere. It can have major consequences sometimes. For example, if some person describes their food allergies and the server doesn’t pay attention to it and serves them the same food, it can have grave consequences. 

Effective listening helps to avoid conflicts. Actually, poor communication is the main reason for several conflicts and misunderstandings. Hearing another perspective can make the speaker feel more respected and validated. In the business world, especially, it is key to solving tense situations. 

Listening skills also encourage empathy. As mentioned earlier, listening to other perspectives can help to get an idea of the speaker’s situation, and it is helpful to generate empathy.

Listening skills and effective communication are key to improving business relationships. Misunderstandings and conflicts can often create problems for a business project, and the company can suffer from a poor reputation. Better listening can help to build better relationships with subordinates and co-workers. 

Listening skills help to enhance productivity. People who are good listeners are more likely to retain information, realise what’s actually being required of them, and provide solutions in the most difficult situations. It helps, especially in teamwork and group projects. 

Last but not least, listening skills improve and enhance leadership qualities. It helps to establish a better relationship with the team members, and hearing different perspectives and ideas helps to avoid misunderstandings. Fewer misunderstandings mean less time to complete the task. In this way, the team members feel respected and valued, and that is effective in running the business smoothly. 

Active Listening Skills and Their Role in Communication

Active listening skills require attention to the speaker, actively participating in the communication, understanding what the speaker is saying, responding and reflecting on that, and retaining the information for later purposes. Active listening also includes some techniques such as paying close attention to the speaker’s behavior and body language, avoiding potential distractions, etc. Paying close attention to body language can help to get a hold of the speaker’s thoughts. Active listening skills don’t require evaluation of what’s being said; rather, it puts emphasis on the speaker feeling validated and respected.

Conclusion

Active listening and business communication are interrelated and are considered key skills in business spheres. Honing these skills can turn someone into a good leader who has dominance and control over their space. To achieve popularity and growth in the market one needs of be an active listner.