Effective communication skills#1: Listening Listening is one of the most important aspects of effective communication. Successful listening means not just understanding the words or the information being communicated, but also understanding how the speaker feelsabout what they’re communicating. Effective listening can: *.Make the speaker feel heard and understood,which can help build a stronger, deeper connection between you. *.Create an environment where everyone feels safeto express ideas, opinions, and feelings, or plan and problem solve in creative ways. *.Save timeby helping clarify information, avoid conflicts and misunderstandings. *.Relieve negative emotions.When emotions are running high, if the speaker feels that he or she has been truly heard, it can help to calmthem down, relieve negative feelings, and allow for real understanding or problem solving to begin. Tips for effective listening If your goal is to fully understand and connect with the other person, listening effectively will often come naturally. If it doesn’t, you can remember the following tips. The more you practice them, the more satisfying and rewarding your interactions with others will become. *.Focus fully on the speaker,his or her body language, and other nonverbal cues. If you’re daydreaming, checking text messages, or doodling, you’re almost certain to miss nonverbal cues in the conversation. If you find it hard to concentrate on somespeakers, try repeating their wordsover in your head—it’ll reinforce their message and help you stay focused. *.Avoid interruptingor trying to redirect the conversation to your concerns, by saying something like,“If you think that’s bad, let me tell you what happened to me.” Listening is not the same as waiting for your turn to talk. You can’t concentrate on what someone’s saying if you’re formingwhat you’re going to say next. Often, the speaker can read your facial expressions and know that your mind’s elsewhere. *.Avoid seeming judgmental.In order to communicate effectively with someone, you don’t have to like them or agree with their ideas,values, or opinions. However, you do need to set aside your judgment and withhold blame and criticism in order to fully understand a person. The most difficult communication, when successfully executed, can lead to the most unlikely and profound connection with someone.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 17:26:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015