How Good Are Your Listening Skills?

Poor listeners “hear” what’s being said, but they don’t “listen.”

For many of us, listening is the communication skill we use the most. Yet, many people listen poorly, and we rarely recognize the need to improve this important skill.

Poor listeners “hear” what’s being said, but they rarely “listen” to the whole message or the underlying meaning of the message.

They get distracted by their own thoughts or by what’s going on around them, and they formulate their responses before the person whom they are talking to has finished speaking. Because of this, they miss crucial information.

Good listeners, on the other hand, enjoy better relationships, because they fully understand what other people are saying. Their team members are also more productive because they feel that they can discuss problems easily, and talk through solutions. At home, the same applies. Good listeners tend to maintain stronger familial relationships.