We spend a great deal of our time listening. We listen to music, to people, to traffic noises and to the sounds of nature. We listen in a variety of situations (Telephone, attend meetings, participate in arguments, give and receive instructions, listen to the news on the radio or television, and make decisions based on oral information. Therefore, we have to improve our listening behaviors.
The following recommendantions may help you to be a better listener. Therefore, to be a better communicator.
2. Show that you are listening by offering verbal feedback (I see, Mmmm, Go on, Tell me more) and nonverbal feedback (Smile, eye contact, nodding).
3. Be quiet. Not to interrupt the conversation until the communicator has finished talking.
4. Understand the ideas identifying only those concepts that are most important and the keys words that can help you to summarise concepts.
5. Retain information with attention and concentration. You can do it better, anticipating what is coming, forming associations and taking notes.
6. Pay attention more than the words to the meaning behind (over and cover messages) Evaluating the validity of an argument, if it`s based on logic or emotion way.
7. Ask for clarification, if you don`t understand a piece of conversation because you can lose track.
8. Not pay attention to external noise because it can distract you. Be focus on the talker.
9. Reduce the internal noise trying to pay attention just in what the person is telling you.
10. Step into the shoes of the other, trying to understand what the other person is feeling from their point of view.
