Erica gardner

LISTEN UP !
According to Raymond McNulty, Everyone who expects to succeed life
should realize that success will only come if you give in careful consideration
to other people. To accomplish this, you must be an excellent listener. One
of the most critical skills that an individual acquires is the ability to listen.
Studies indicate that a person spends 70 percent to 80 percent of his or her
time communicating, of which 32.7 percent is spent listening. Adler and
Elmhorst give the following breakdown for the average time an individual
spends communicating.
Writing 18.8 percent
Reading 22.6 percent
Speaking 25.8 percent
Listening 32.7 percent
Since a great deal of the time spent communicating is spent listening, it is
important to overcome any obstacles that obstruct our ability to listen and to
learn new ways to improve our listening ability.
Barriers to Listening
Anything that interferes with our ability to listen is classified as a barrier to
listening. These barriers can be divided into two basic categoriesexternal
and internal barriers.
Internal barriers. Internal barriers are those that deal with the mental or
physiological aspects of listening . The perception of the importance of the
message by the listener are examples of internal barriers.
External barriers. External barriers are barriers other than those that deal
with the mental and psychological makeup of the listener that tend to keep
the listener from devoting full attention to what is being said. Telephone
interruptions, uninvited visitors, noise, and the physical environment are
examples of external barriers.

Ways to Improve Listening

Barriers to listening can be overcome. However, it does take a sincere effort
on the part of the listener. Neher and Waite suggest the following ways to
improve listening skills.

Erica gardner

1. Be aware of the barriers that are especially troublesome for you.

Listening difficulties are individualistic. Developing awareness is an
important step in overcoming such barriers.
2. Listen as though you will have to paraphrase what is being said. Listen
for ideas rather that for facts.
3. Expect to work at listening. Work at overcoming distractions, such as
the speakers delivery or nonverbal mannerisms.
4. Concentrate on summarizing the presentation as you listen. If possible,
think of additional supporting material that would fit with the point that
the speaker is making. Avoid trying to refute the speaker. Try not to be
turned off by remarks disagree with.
H. Dan OHair, James S. ORourke IV, and Mary John OHair, Business
Communication: A Framework for Success ( Cincinnati: South-Western
Publishing, 2001) , p.211.
Ronald B. Adler and Jeanne Marquardt Elmhorst, Communicating at
Work (New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008), p.77.
William W. Neher and David H. Waite, The Business and Professional
Communicator (Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1993), p. 28.