Listen Up

Listening is a skill-and a very important one in work-life. Being a good listener can make or break a career.

• Here are a few thoughts and facts about listening:
• Television and radio have brought the importance of listening back to the world.
• In today’s world, listening is essential to the well-being and survival of the individual.
• Most people can’t seem to find the energy to listen to what you’re saying unless they already feel like you have listened to them.
• If a person feels like he’s being listened to, he will feel accepted and appreciated rather than isolated and rejected.
• Being a generous listener gives a person a sense of well-being.
• When we feel we are being listened to, it makes us feel like we are being taken seriously and what we say really matters.

Some Listening Gaffes to Avoid:

• Interrupting.
• Avoiding eye contact.
• Rushing the speaker.
• Letting your attention wander.
• Rushing ahead and finishing the speaker’s thoughts.
• Not responding when appropriate.
• Use of negating phrases such as “yes, but…” Trying to top the speaker’s story.
• Forgetting what the speaker has already told you.
• Asking about too many details.

-adapted from the International Listening Association Web site