Expressive skills and receptive skills make up the two skills of communication. Speaking and writing are generally referred to as expressive skills they provide the means by which we express ourselves to others. The receptive skills, listening and reading, are the ways in which we receive information.
It has been reported that senior officers of major North American corporations spend up to 80 percent of their working time in meetings,discussions, face-to-face conversations, or telephone conversations. Most employees spend about 60 percent of the work day listening. Since such a large percentage of one’s waking time is consumed by listeningactivities, it is clear that we could increase our productivity through listening training.
Listening consumens about half of all communication time, yet people typically listen with only about 25 percent of their attention. Ineffective listeningis costly, whether it occurs in families, businesses, government, or international affairs. Most people make numerous listening mistakes every day, but the costs financial and otherwise are seldom analyzed. Because of listening mistakes, appointments have to be rescheduled, letters retyped, and shipments rerouted. Any number of catastrophes can arise from a failed communication regardless of the type of industry. Productivity is affected and profits suffer.
Research indicates that we hear only 25 percent of what is said and, after two months, remember only one-half of that. This has not always been the case. In first grade we heard 90 percent of what was said, in second grade 80 percent, in seventh grade 43 percent, and by ninth grade only 25 percent. It is imperative that we strive to improve our listeningskills. When havingdifficulty understanding a document that we’re reading, we can reread it for clarification. However, we cannot relisten to oral messages, unless they are mechanically recorded. The listener may misunderstand, misinterpret, or forget a high percentage of the original message. With proper training, though, listening skills can be improved. It has been proven that with extended, focused trainingin listening, one can more than double one’s listening efficiency and effectiveness.
Communication involves message reception and interpretation. Studies of communication have routinely found that nearly everyone listens more than they talk, reads more than they write, and spends a lot more time receiving messages than sendingthem. The average person speaks at a rate of one hundred to two hundred words perminute. An average listener, however, can adequately process 400 words per minute. Given this differential between what is normally heard and what potentially can be processed, it is little wonder that people tend to ‘‘tune out’’ at certain times. Mental tangents are the obvious product of this differential, and managers who believe that subordinates are listening intently to every word they utter are deluding them selves.
Listening can be compared to exercising or wearing seat belts: Everybody knows it is desirable, but everybody finds it difficult to do on a regular basis. Most of us yearn to talk; we want to be center stage. If you listen to any casual conversation between friends, you will probably note that most people spend much of the conversation paying maximum attention to what they are going to say next. As we listen to others, we spend much time thinking about the next time we will be speaking.
Listening is more than just hearing what a speaker says. Hearing is simply the reception of sounds by your ears listening is interpreting, or making sense of, the sounds that you hear. Hearing is a physical perception; listening is a mental activity. It requires concentration, cooperation, and an open mind.
Many situations at work demand skilled listening. Conferences, interviews, receiving instructions, handling complaints all call for alert, sensitive listening. Whether you’re listening in order to learn how to do a task, in order to make a decision, or in order to achieve friendly relations with your co-workers, it’s important to make a concentrated effort to understand what the speaker is saying.
Three types of listening exist. The first type is casual, or informal. You usually don’t need to remember details. The second type of listening is active, or formal. This type of listening takes concentration and requires that the listener absorb details. The last type of listening is nonverbal listening.
Speakers have the responsibility to communicate as effectively as they can, but listeners also have responsibilities. They cannot sit back and contentedly assume they have nothingto do. Like speakers, listeners also need to prepare themselves. As they listen, they must concentrate on both the verbal and nonverbal message of the speaker. Listeners are influenced by the speaker, the message, other listeners, physical conditions, and their emotional state at the time of the listening activity. While the first three cannot be controlled by the listener, the last two can.
To give complete attention to the speaker and the speaker’s message, the listener should choose a position that allows a full view of the speaker’s gestures. Fifty-five percent of a person’s message involves nonverbal communication, 38 percent of the message derives from the speaker’s voice inflection, and only 7 percent of the message involves the actual words spoken. In addition to the verbal message, the listener should also concentrate on the speaker’s nonverbal messages, communicated through gestures, tone of voice, and physical movements. Do the speaker’s gestures seem to reinforce or contradict the words? If the speaker is tryingto paint herself as a sincere, dedicated woman, do you detect elements of dishonesty? Is the speaker actually timid even though he’s trying to play the role of a man full of confidence? Only by carefully watching and analyzing a presenter’s body language and thoughtfully listening to his words can you receive the full impact of the message.
As with the spoken word, body language has its own special pace, rhythm, vocabulary, and grammar. Just as in verbal language, there are ‘‘letters’’ that, when correctly joined, form unspoken ‘‘words.’’ Such ‘‘words’’ are then linked to create the ‘‘phrases’’ and ‘‘sentences’’ by which messages are exchanged. Relaxed gesturing on the part of the speaker, for example, is usually associated with confidence, while jerking and abrupt motions display nervousness and discomfort. Putting learned information about nonverbal communication to practical use can spell the difference between success or failure in many business and social encounters.
Whether one is involved in a serious negotiation, a job interview, a company meeting, or a personal interaction, the need to listen more effectively is vital.
Active listening is important for the following reasons:
- Listening enables us to gain important information.
- Listening enables us to be more effective in interpreting a message.
- Listening enables us to gather data to make sound decisions.
- Listeningenables us to respond appropriately to the messages we hear.
To become a better listener, you should do the following:
- Look the part: Face the speaker and display feedback that the message is being heard and understood. Lean toward the speaker to show interest. Maintain eye contact at least 80 percent of the time. Do not distract the speaker with strange facial expressions and fidgeting.
- Listen for nonverbal messages: Observe the speaker’s body language, gestures, and the physical distance. Observe the speaker’s facial expressions, eyes, mouths, and hands for hidden messages.
- Listen for the main points: Filter out the non essential and look for the principal message of the words.
- Be silent before replying: Be certain that the speaker is completely finished speaking before you attempt to speak. Resist the temptation to interrupt unnecessarily.
- Ask questions: It is appropriate to question the speaker in order to clarify meanings and reinforce messages heard.
- Sense how the speaker is feeling: To receive the complete message, it is important to sift out any feelings the speaker is trying to convey. Determine what the speaker is not saying.
- Take notes: Jottingdown important ideas allows you to review the message at a later time and reinforces the information heard orlearned.
- Be available: To be spoken to, one must be available. Get out from behind your desk and papers. Stop your work and concentrate totally on the speaker.
Encourage others to listen by doing the following:
- Lower your voice volume. It forces others to listen.
- Make your talk interesting. Focus on your
- listener’s favorite subject him or herself. Encourage others to participate by bringing them into the conversation.
- Create the right environment. Speak where you can be easily heard and understood.
- Be human to your listeners. Address people by name whenever possible it helps to get their attention.
Good listening habits are an important ingredient in your journey to success. If you practice careful listening, you’ll become more efficient in your job and more knowledgeable about all topics. Responsible, patient listening is a rare thing, but it is a skill that can be developed with practice.
