Is Anyone Listening (CH 2)

Is Anyone Listening?

The ability to listen effectively is consistently rated as one of the most important skills necessary for success in the workplace. A survey of North American executives reveals that 80 percent believe that listening is one of the most important skills needed in the corporate environment. The same survey participants, however, also rated the skill as one of the most lacking. Effective listening is crucial to providing quality service, facilitating groups, training staff, improving teamwork, and supervising and managing for improved performance. In times of stress and change, effective listening is the cornerstone of workplace harmony, since it furthers interpersonal and intercultural understanding. Listening is more than just hearing. It is an interactive process that takes concentration and commitment.

            Although listening is critical to our daily lives, it is taught and studied far less than the other three basic communication skills: reading, writing, and speaking. Overreliance on television and computers also contributes to our listening problems. Much of the trouble we have communicating with others is because of poor listening skills. Studies show that we spend about 80 percent of our waking hours communicating, and at least 45 percent of that time listening. Most people can benefit from improving their listening skills. You can arrive at a fairly accurate assessment of your listening skills by thinking about your relationships with the people in your life—your boss, colleagues, best friends, family. If asked, what would they say about how well you listen? Do you often misunderstand assignments, or only vaguely remember what people have said to you? If so, you may need to improve your listening skills. These suggestions may assist you in your listening improvement:

·         Become aware of biases and filters that keep you from listening effectively.

·         Identify the aspects of listening that you need to improve upon.

·         Get comfortable with silence.

·         Monitor your body language, facial expressions, and other nonverbal signals that might appear negative.

·         Listen between words for feelings.

·         Give signals that you are listening.

·         Take notes.

·         Hear people out before cutting in with your reply.

·         Don’t begin answers with “I.”

·         Learn to ask nonaggressive questions.

·         Understand that listening does not mean agreeing.

            Listening skills can have a dramatic effect on your personal and professional success. By listening, you get listened to. Listening builds relationships and wins trust.

Source: Salopek, J. J. (1999, September). Is anyone listening? Training and Development, 53(9), 58+.

Questions

1.    Why is listening so important? How can it affect not only your learning, but success or failure in the business world?

2.    Describe the 4 types of listening as explained in Chapter 2. After you compare/contrast the different types, comment on which one you believe you spend most of your day doing. *Do not copy and paste ideas, but make sure you put the information in your own words.

3.    Your text comments on 6 different “Poor Listening Habits”. Briefly explain the 6, and then pick 2 that you feel you are the worst at. 

4.    Based on the information you have just found, tell  us why you are either a good or poor listener. Support your conclusion with reasons and/or evidence of one or more situations in which your listening was put to the test.