Introduction
Listening is instrumental for an effective communication. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how effective listening skill contributes to establish a healthy conversation. According to a research, adults remain engaged in some sort of communication for an average of 70% of their time out of which 45% is spent on listening (Adler, R. et al. 2001).In the absence of the ability of listening, messages conveyed are misinterpreted resulting in misunderstanding or poor communication. Listening is key to any good relationship be that professional or personal. Listening generates a positive vibe into the atmosphere making people comfortably engage in conversation. Many employers even train their employees for good listening habit in order to provide better customer service. Studies have proved that listening brings blood pressure down. This paper will discuss at length the difference between listening and hearing, SOLER technique, characteristics of good listening and how effective listening influences personal and professional life.
Difference between Listening and Hearing
Listening is a dynamic process in a communication involving attentiveness and interest readily visible in one's postures and expression. Listening means understanding and interpreting the messages you are listening to build an effective communication. Listening differs from hearing. Hearing is a casual act of perceiving sound through ear. Hearing is a passive activity that does not require any degree of concentration. Hearing is mere sound waves transmitted to the ear and then processed into the brain as audible information. A non-listener can hear you for hours without listening to what is being said. Hearing does not involve decoding the messages and interpreting them correctly to obtain the right connotation whereas listening requires both physical and psychological endeavors. Listening is an active process involving a greater degree of concentration to the words being spoken with the objective to understand the message conveyed by the other person. Listening decodes the meaning underlying in a sentence or a word.
SOLER
As mentioned earlier in the essay that listening involves both physical and psychological efforts. So alongside attentiveness effective listening skill requires an attentive body posture that brings out sincere interest in the topic being discussed to the speaker. The mnemonic SOLER is used for a nonverbal listening technique very effective for building an engaging communication. Five basic components constituting SOLER technique can ameliorate the listening process - squarely, open, lean forward, eye contact and relax. Facing people squarely is an important body orientation that conveys the message of your involvement. Open body posture meaning open and uncrossed arms and legs come as non-defensive compared to crossed body posture which appears defensive and non-involving. Leaning slightly forward shows commitment and interest. Eye contact, not stare also establishes interest and involvement. Maintaining a relaxed manner makes the speaker feel at ease during the conversation, encouraging to open up more. SOLER is very useful for professional care givers like those involved in nursing or psychiatry while dealing with patients.
Characteristics of Good Listening
Good listening skills require some essential characteristics in the absence of which communication is likely to break down. Attentiveness is a prerequisite for an effective communication. Attentiveness established through an engaging eye contact and squarely body posture give the speaker a sense of involvement. Failure to establish eye contact by roaming eyes here and there constantly evokes a feeling of uneasiness in the speaker. Attentiveness to every detail of a conversation, undulation of voice modules is useful in understanding the unsaid that results in building rapport with the speaker.
A good listener must not only stay silent. He should paraphrase the idea spoken to emphasize clarity of understanding. This assures the speaker of his speech being paid heed and he would feel encouraged to continue.
A good listening habit requires an empathy with the speaker. A speaker is likely to feel uneasy and nervous if he feels being judged and hence it's important to drop in a word or two empathizing with the speaker to allow him express his emotions uninhibited.
A good listener must allow the speaker to finish what he has to say before interrupting with questions and comments. Off and on interjection is looked upon as rudeness unless involved in a debate. Therefore, patient listening that attaches a value to the speaker's thought boosts up the communication.
A good listener must not form any preconceived notion about the speaker. He should adopt a generous attitude towards the conversation and interpret the words only on the basis of what is spoken unshrouded by any predisposed ideas.
Listening Affecting Relationship
Communication is very important for the success of a good relationship. Poor listening can hinder a carefree exchange of emotions. If either of the spouses is very quick-tempered and reacts hastily without listening to the other side of opinions clearly, then any small disagreement might lead to a fight. Since good listening also involves an attentive body posture, many a time in relationships an indifferent attitude creates rift between partners. If your wife talks to you and you remain busy watching soccer or reading newspaper without once looking at her, this sort of detached body language is likely to transmit the message of your indifference towards your partner, resulting in conflict of emotions. Lack of communication, resulting out of poor listening habits, leads to a lot of grievance which if not sorted within time might end up in divorce or separation. Therefore, it is very important to practice the skill of good listening.
Effective Listening Skill in the Workplace
Effective listening skill also impacts one's professional growth and success. Many companies orient the interest of employees towards developing good communication skill by providing training. Especially good listening skill is of paramount importance in occupations dealing with customers and clients. The practice of good listening results in better customer satisfaction and service, increases productivity of employees and helps a great deal in promotions. A lot of job entails team involvement. A good rapport among the team members can be established only by an effective communication and good listening skill.
Conclusion
Communication is the lifeblood of any relationship, be that personal or professional. A good communication involves a good listening skill without which communication would not be effective. Listening differs from hearing which is only a passive way of taking aural information. Listening is an active process that decodes the messages and figures out the underlying meaning. A good listening incorporates some essential characteristics such as SOLER non-verbal techniques, attentiveness, empathy, generosity and paraphrasing. Without an effective communication any relationship, be that with spouse or friend, is likely to fall apart. Studies have shown that a good listener always has more number of friends than a poor listener. Effective listening skill is also beneficial for the health of a workplace where camaraderie among the employees results in better service and productivity.
Works Cited
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