Effective communication cannot take place without listening. Regardless of the method of communication, listening communication skills play a significant role in effective communication.
Research suggests that we spend up to 80 percent of our day engaging in communication, and listening occupies 45% of the time spent in communication.
Despite its importance, a lot of people are biased toward the role of listening communication skills. Developing good listening skills is important, especially in your personal and professional life.
Listening also has a lot of health benefits which are stress reduction, decreased anxiety and depression, improved memory, and many more.
In this article, you will learn the definition of listening communication skills, types of listening, the importance of listening in communication, and how to improve your listening skills.
Table of Contents
What are Listening Communication Skills?
Listening communication skills are the ability to accurately receive, understand, and interpret the information or message conveyed to you.
It plays a significant role in effective communication.
Effective communication cannot take place unless a message or information is heard (received) and interpreted accurately.
Listening is not the same as hearing. Hearing is the process of perceiving sound, while listening is the act of intentionally working to understand the sounds (messages) received.
People with effective listening skills usually possess the following qualities:
- Listen without interrupting the speaker
- Ask questions when it’s appropriate
- Support the speaker with affirmative words
- Maintain eye contact
- Don’t jump to a conclusion
- Avoid distractions when listening to the speaker
- Pay attention to nonverbal cues like body movement and posture, gestures, facial expressions e.t.c.
Types of Effective Listening
Listening can come in different forms. Different situations require different types of listening, so it’s important to know the different types of listening and when to use them.
Below are the types of effective listening:
- Discriminative listening
- Comprehensive listening
- Information listening
- Critical listening
- Therapeutic listening.
1. Discriminative listening
Discriminative listening is the first type of listening skill, developed at a very early age. This type of listening involves the identification of nonverbal cues like tone of voice to figure out what the speaker is saying.
For example, an American man communicating with a German man will focus on the man’s body language instead of listening to what he is saying. This is because the American man doesn’t understand German.
2. Comprehensive listening
Comprehensive listening is the opposite of discriminative listening. It involves listening to the verbal messages of the speaker and making analyses based on what the speaker said.
Comprehensive listening requires the appropriate language skills i.e you must understand the speaker’s language.
For example, if an American man and another American man are engaging in a conversation, both of them will listen to verbal messages instead of paying attention to nonverbal cues.
3. Informational listening
Informational listening involves listening to learn something. This type of listening is common in schools and in the workplace.
Informational listening requires a high level of concentration. You need to be fully attentive to learn new information.
Examples of informational listening include when you listen to a food tutorial, watching a documentary, reading an educative blog post e.t.c.
4. Critical listening
Critical listening involves analyzing information received from the speaker and relating it to what you already know.
It involves three processes:
- Receiving the message conveyed to you
- Comparing it to the knowledge you already have on the topic
- Creating your analysis based on what you know.
Critical listening can assist you in determining whether the message or the speaker is trustworthy.
5. Therapeutic listening
Therapeutic listening involves attempting to understand the feeling and emotions of the speaker. It requires you to put yourself into the speaker’s shoes and understand his feelings.
Occupations like counselors, therapists e.t.c use therapeutic listening to understand their clients.
Therapeutic listening is not only used in professional settings, you can also employ therapeutic listening when you listen to a troubled friend, family, or colleague.
Types of Ineffective Listening
You must avoid ineffective types of listening to communicate effectively. Below are the types of ineffective listening:
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Selective listening
Selective listening occurs when you only listen to certain aspects of what the speaker is saying. This type of listening can lead to misunderstanding.
Instead of listening to the speaker’s message, selective listeners only pay attention to the parts they think are most relevant.
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Partial listening
Partial listening is when you have the intention to listen to the speaker but you are distracted. Distractions like noise can prevent you from hearing the speaker completely.
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False listening
False listening involves pretending to listen to someone but you are not decoding the messages conveyed.
These listeners may show they understand by using nonverbal cues like nodding, smiling e.t.c. when they think it is appropriate.
Importance of Listening in Communication
Listening skills are among the important skills required in effective communication.
Effective listening is required in communication because it has a lot of benefits, the following are some of the benefits of listening in communication:
1. Reduces misunderstandings
Good listening skills can help improve the way you understand the information conveyed through any form of communication.
Misunderstanding usually occurs when you possess poor listening skills. It is very easy to misinterpret information if you don’t listen to the speaker.
2. Encourages empathy
Listening can assist you in understanding the feelings and emotions of another person. Putting yourself in the speaker’s position can help you understand how to provide a solution.
For example, if students explain to you that they are unhappy about their grades, you won’t be able to help until you understand how it feels.
3. Builds relationship
Effective listening skills are capable of building and maintaining relationships at both personal and professional levels.
Good listeners can easily build relationships because people easily feel comfortable with them.
4. Makes you more productive
Whether at the professional or personal level, listening skills can improve productivity. Good listeners are capable of retaining essential information and applying this information when it is appropriate, and as a result, improve productivity.
For example, a student who listens actively during lectures and follows all the necessary instructions during practicals will perform better than students who don’t.
5. Provides Feedback
Good listeners are able to provide feedback because they pay full attention to the speaker.
To provide feedback, you must have a clear understanding of the topics discussed, which can only be achieved by active listening.
How to Improve Listening Skills
Being a good listener may come naturally and can also be developed. Just like all other skills, listening skills can be learned with time and effort.
Below are some tips you may follow to improve your listening skills:
- Maintain eye contact
- Try to picture what the speaker is saying
- Avoid interrupting
- Pay attention to nonverbal cues
- Ask clarifying questions
- Limit judgments
- Practice.
1. Maintain eye contact
When someone is talking to you give the person your undivided attention, face the person and maintain eye contact.
This indicates that you are interested in what they are saying and encourages them to continue talking.
2. Try to picture what the speaker is saying
Pay attention to the speaker’s messages and try to visualize what the speaker is saying in your mind.
Having visual images of the speaker’s messages can help you retain the information.
3. Avoid interrupting
Interrupting when someone is still talking can send wrong signals to the speaker. It may suggest that you have more important issues to discuss or that you don’t care about their messages.
Instead of interrupting the speaker, wait for a pause or until they finish what they are saying. It is best to ask questions or give suggestions when the speaker is no longer talking.
4. Pay attention to nonverbal cues
Nonverbal cues like body movements, gestures, facial expressions e.t.c are capable of sending information without relying on spoken words.
Most times, we communicate with nonverbal cues unconsciously. So, it is important to listen (pay attention) to your nonverbal cues and that of the speaker.
Body language like crossed arms, avoiding eye contact, slouching e.t.c indicates a lack of interest. So, make sure you avoid those body language.
5. Ask clarifying questions
Clarifying questions are questions used to confirm the information a speaker has provided. Listeners can ask clarifying questions in an attempt to prevent any misunderstanding.
You should only ask questions that are relevant to the information provided by the speaker. Don’t interrupt the speaker with questions wait till the speaker is done talking.
6. Limit judgmentsÂ
Good listeners listen to the speaker without criticizing. Avoid making judgments about the speaker in your mind. This act can lead to misunderstanding.
You should always listen with an open mind to get a clearer understanding of the speaker’s messages.
7. PracticeÂ
Constant practice can help you improve and learn any skill. You can practice listening by being aware of what you do when someone is talking to you.
Also, you can listen to audiobooks or podcasts, they are great for improving your listening skills.
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Conclusion
As a student, it is advisable to develop listening skills because of their benefits. Students who listen in the classroom will gain a clearer understanding of the content discussed, and as a result, have better academic performance.
Apart from better academic performances, listening skills are important in every aspect of your life. Without listening skills, you may not be able to communicate effectively.
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