For communication to be successful, it is essential that there be mutual understanding between the sender and the receiver. The vital link for mutual understanding to take place is listening. Listening, unlike hearing, fosters mutual understanding, which is the primary goal of communication. Mutual understanding often facilitates some change – in attitude or action, or in both. When the communication process includes listening to understand, change may be as likely to occur in the attitudes or actions of the initiator as it is to occur in the intended receiver of the message. Both individuals become senders and receivers of messages. That is what communication is all about – taking 100 percent responsibility for being a sender and receiver.
Fortunately, listening is a skill that can be learned. Listening opens the gateway to personal and professional success through the vast dividends it pays.
Listening:
• Keeps communication channels open
• Provides opportunities for learning
• Enhances relationships
• Increases productivity by saving time and effort
• Reduces friction, misunderstandings, and conflicts
• Alerts you to opportunities
• Enlists the support and favorable responses of others
• Enables you to reach professional and personal goals you have set
• Develops insight into people’s needs and desires so you can communicate better.
Everybody wants to be appreciated, and listening is one of the highest forms of appreciation anyone can show another person. Listening and trying to understand the other person’s point of view develops rapport and trust. When people feel appreciated, when they sense an attitude of respect, and when they know that others are trying to understand their situation and how they view it, then they tend to reflect these same attitudes of appreciation and respect. This, in turn, fosters mutual understanding and cooperation, both essential for reaching professional and business goals.
LMI Journal
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