Listening on Effective Communication

Listening on Effective Communication

I. Introduction

The communications process is more than simply conveying a message; it is also a source for control. Proper communications let the people in on the act because they need to know and understand each other. Communication must convey both information and motivation. The problem, therefore, is how to communicate.

As an important communication tool, listening ability entails a complex combination of factors. The conference Board of Canada identifies the ability to listen to understand and learn as one of four essential communication skills that " provide the basic foundation to get, keep and progress on a job and to achieve the best results" (Richard Huseman, 2006).

II. Analysis

The importance of Listening

Listening means fully and completely understanding your partner. You don't have to agree with what you hear, but you must understand what was said. Listening involves hearing, seeing, and feeling. Active listening requires active participation and involves supportive gestures, questions, verbalizations, and encouraging words. So good listeners are patient, flexible, and open-minded. They are interested in their partners and are often thought to be great conversationalists because they can disagree without being disagreeable or insensitive. On the other hand, as poor listeners, always seem to rush the conversation. They are often considered intolerant, disagreeable, and insensitive. It is estimated that 60 percent of all corporate problems stem from poor listening (Peter Bender, 2007).

Listening ability is affected by three key factors: motivation, organizational ability, and environment. Motivation is a significant element of listening proficiency. Listeners' comprehension improves if they are interested in the topic, if the speech itself is interesting and entertaining, or if they know they are going to be tested on the content of the speech. For example, students who know they must write a exam on a lecture are more likely to listen effectively in their class.

Barriers to Effective Listening

The major barriers to effective listening are perceptual. People perceive stimuli according to their individual frames of reference, their own expectations, individual attitudes and beliefs. If you hear something that opposes your most deeply rooted prejudices, notions, convictions, mores, or complexes, our brains may become over stimulated, and not in a direction that leads to good listening. You concentrate to the talking and your own thinking drops to a minimum because you are hearing thoughts that you are very interested in or having harboured for years in support of our inner feelings. So the continuing relationship between speaker