Listening skills Is one of the most integral skills that everyone needs to imbibe and include in their communication skilling set. Your listening skill effectively plays an important role in molding and portraying your image on the other’s side whether it’s your professional life like business meetings, presentation, personal or relationship sphere. It determines a lot about you.
In this article we are seeing how you can develop effective listening skills into your personality. Adoresays trying to make it short, simple and to the point as requirable and at the same time we are going to answer a number of important questions of this topic as in what are the barriers of listening skills, benefits of listening skill.
How can you develop effective listening skills in business communication?
Being a good listener really eases your business, because you know very well how to perceive, how much to perceive and how to ask your demands with the commanding edge of having this listening skill.
- Be attentive.
When someone is talking to you, don’t do any activity which disrespects them or waive that the other person is not at all interested.
Avoid Distracting actions and gestures:-
● Don’t scroll your phone while talking.
● Don’t look here and there as if it’s boring for you.
● Look into their eyes even if the other person is not looking at you( maybe they are shy or to be a part of culture taboo).
2. Don’t rush for conclusion.
Sometimes we don’t prefer to listen to the whole thing and actively jump to the conclusion, which is to hurry and give a message to the speaker that we already know what he/she is talking about, which is totally rude and annoying to them.
3. Do not interrupt.
For instance someone is sharing their trip adventures to you and you again and again become the spoiler of their storytelling and telling them that yeah I already had that, or I already visited/ I know etc.
4. Try not being a competitor rather than being a listener.
When people are sharing their things and you already have it so don’t give them that tone that it’s so easy for you and not a big deal for you. That’s bad listening skill and you are only trying here to be a competitor not a good listener with bad listening skill.
5. Your body posture talks too.
Yeah! Absolutely your body posture talks a lot if you are sitting in close posture and shaking your legs constantly or hand movements. Then it’s going to give the wrong message to the speaker about your listening skills.
6. Be curious and inquisitive.
● Listen in a curious way by using such short words like then, ohh, great, wow, wonderful, yes, yeah, ahhaa.
● Nod what and when they are speaking, nodding while talking doesn’t mean that you totally agree with what the other person is saying. But it means that yes you are actively involving yourself into what they are explaining.
7. Don’t try to be aggressively assertive.
● Sometimes we reply or assert in a wrong way with aggressive replies which makes them step back by sharing their points. Be assertive where you don’t agree but with the calmness and politeness in your voice.
● For example:- Like as per my understanding the point you said may be seen in xyz way.
8. Ask relevant questions only.
Means don’t ask questions which are off- topic. That is something very stupid one can do while listening and counter questioning.
9. Wait till they pause.
If you want to convey some of your points or correct them where they are wrong or where you don’t agree so don’t interrupt while they are still on topic but wait for their pause and then put forward your point.
10. Have patience.
Sometimes some people talk very fast and some talk way too slow. I think that’s okay, let them have their own pace and I think when they talk to you in that pace that’s what makes the other person more comfortable in front of you.
11.Your expressions talk too.
Have you ever seen someone when you are talking and if they don’t prefer to be into your talk so they roll up their eyes or make faces or not even look/glance at you. That’s the sign of avoidance and you should do such things when you are listening and if you want to be a good listener.
12. Keep aside your evil smile.
Sometimes you know that the person in front of you is bluffing so please don’t make them off-place or uncomfortable by bringing an evil smile on your face. That is so shallow or not a good quality of a good listener.
Benefits of good listening skills.
Well, if you are a good listener, you not only automatically become the center of attraction of any group where people prefer to talk, because they all want to grab your attention and a lot of advantages you get by being a good listener.
- Makes you a social buttery and people get easily comfortable with you.
- Makes your personal relationship very qualitative and happening with happiness.
- Your colleagues and employees will always prefer to be with you.
- You teammates always want a leader like you only.
- You are less opinionated with more wisdom.
- You become a passive learner with active listening skills.
- By being a good and poise listener, on business tables you might get and grab the
idea, where others have missed the thing.
What are some listening skills barriers?
By working on these barriers, you can really sharpen your listening skill and do a way more wonderful job into your work.
💡You react more, respond less.
Let’s say, your employee is suggesting you some suggestions and their motive regarding the projects, but before listening to them completely, you start to react, that’s not appreciating but what is appreciating you first try to listen to them completely and then put forward your opinions.
💡Don’t ruin their experience.
Don’t add on your experiences and knowledge or skills, if someone is talking about their things. It shows you are just trying to find some commonality to put forward the conversation.
💡Non involvement of non verbal communication.
It’s not necessary that you have to be involved in the conversation by just being by your verbal way, but choose to use some non verbal communication knacks which shows to the speaker that you really are into this conversation for example eye contact nodding, by your position gestures of expressions.
💡 Inclusion of long sentences.
Avoid long sentences if someone is already continuing their talk, it feels like an interruption and gives the wrong feedback to the speaker and also it shows the self-centered personality of yours.
💡Don’t ask invalid questions.
Replying back to a question is the good way if you really want to put a good impact on the speaker but the quality of questions you ask really decides where the conversation will go.
💡Practice consistency.
If you are not a good listener, you are an impatient listener who can become a good and a perfect listener by being in the zone which is called practice.
💡Avoid passive listening.
Don’t try to be in the conversation as If it’s the burden, that you really have to listen to that person, as if it’s the last option you have. But make the speaker well cozy by your interaction.
FAQ.
Does listening to podcasts improve listening skills?
Yes, it does help in two major ways. First, you are listening to the different opinions of two different people by aside your thoughts on that topic, second you get to know the kind of quality question they ask to each other and how patiently, calmly with the energy of poise they prefer to listen to the speaker.
Is listening skills a soft skill?
Yes, it is. It’s a very soft and effective skill that one can use to create a good impact on the speaker as well as other people too.
Can you improve listening skills?
Yes, you really can improve your listening skill by just practicing.
What are the types of listening skills?
There are mainly two kinds of listening skills, active and passive listening skills. Passive one is just bringing your presence into a conversation but by becoming a active listener you actually be into that conversation and pay attention to the details of talk of speaker.