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. » Read more: Listening Skills in Business