Effective Listening Skills: Instructor(s) Date E-Mail (S)
Effective Listening Skills: Instructor(s) Date E-Mail (S)
Effective Listening Skills: Instructor(s) Date E-Mail (S)
Instructor(s)
Date
E-mail (s)
L = Look interested
I = Involve yourself by responding
S = Stay on target
T = Test your understanding
E = Evaluate the message
N = Neutralize your feelings
10 Steps to Effective Listening
Hear
Clarify
Interpret
Respond
Hear
To listen actively and effectively, one must be a good hearer. Hearing
involves picking up the sounds of the speaker by performing these actions:
Avoid taking what the speaker says at face value by looking at feelings
as well as body language.
Communicate your interpretation and verify its accuracy.
Concentrate on facts and data, not perceptions.
Distinguish between assumptions, and facts and data.
Identify the main ideas.
Pay attention to nonverbal communications to determine sincerity about
what is said.
Respond
Sometimes we have to respond to what the speaker says. Of the four
steps, this one is optional. Any response will have a physiological,
emotional, and psychological aspect to it. Here are some steps to respond
effectively:
Be sincere.
Conduct follow-up, if necessary, on any resulting request by the instructor
or the speaker.
Demonstrate a physiological (e.g., body language) and psychological
response.
Exhibit empathy rather than sympathy.
Exhibit verbal and nonverbal cues that build bridges rather than walls
between the project manager and the speaker.
Seek feedback on your response.
Why Few People Listen Effectively
Listening sometimes does not come easy.
Often, the difficulty is not because people are
not willing to listen but because they are
unable to do so.
Their mind does not allow them to see the
total picture because they are only able to
see the world in one dimension.
This inability to listen using both sides of the
brain can cause miscommunication,
misinterpretation, and miscalculation.
Why Few People Listen Effectively
(2)
The result can be a listener who is unable to deal
with not only the logic of a relationship but with
the emotional component either.
Hence, this asymmetrical use of the brain often
results in the inability of the listener to absorb all
the necessary cues from the person speaking.
Effective and active listening requires, using both
sides of the brain. Unfortunately, few people
understand this fact.
Instead, they see this skill as one reflecting the
use of the right or left side of the brain.
Benefits of Effective Listening
Enhances productivity
Improves relations
Avoids conflict
Improves understanding
Improves negotiation skills
Helps you stand out
People will appreciate it
Must Have Soft Skills for
Engineers Career Success
While speaking, writing, and listening are everyday actions, many professionals
underestimate the importance of communication skills. Engineers tend to prioritize
technical skills over communication skills, not realizing that they cannot be fully
effective in their jobs if they are inadequate speakers, writers, and listeners. Yet
it is particularly in the engineering fields that effective communication skills are
crucial to success.