Why You Need Good Listening Skills
Good listening skills make workers more productive. Even if you are not listening to English, the ability to listen carefully will allow you to:
- better understand assignments and what is expected of you;
- build rapport with co-workers, bosses, and clients;
- show support;
- work better in a team-based environment;
- resolve problems with customers, co-workers, and bosses;
- answer questions;
- find underlying meanings in what others say.
How to Listen Well
The following tips will help you listen well. Doing these things will also demonstrate to the speaker that you are paying attention. While you may in fact be able to listen while looking down at the floor, doing so may imply that you are not. These tips also help you increase your way of listening for specific information which is important in TOEIC test. Try them today:
- maintain eye contact;
- don’t interrupt the speaker;
- sit still;
- nod your head;
- lean toward the speaker;
- repeat instructions and ask appropriate questions when the speaker has finished.
A good listener knows that being attentive to what the speaker doesn’t say is as important as being attentive to what he does say. Look for non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and posture to get the full gist of what the speaker is telling you.
Barriers to Listening
Beware of the following things that may get in the way of listening.
- bias or prejudice;
- language differences or accents;
- noise;
- worry, fear, or anger; and
- lack of attention span.
