Active Listening: The Most Important Communication Skills

Listening is arguably one of the most important skills to have, yet so many people do not know how to truly listen. When it comes to learning and understanding communication, most of our time is spent focused on only one side of communication, expression. Expression being how we represent ourselves in the written or spoken form. Very little of our energy goes in to the most important aspect of communication; being a better listener. Listening is a vital part of communication, and responsible for half of the communication process. It is a skill that we can all develop and improve upon, but is also something that we must constantly be working on. The greatest benefit of becoming a better lister is that it can strengthen relationship: professional …show more content…
Our mind is working faster then the information is coming in, so we plenty of space for our minds to start wondering. We have to actively choose to pay attention and actively listen to the speaker. Another huge distracting is our own internal noise. Individuals are more apt to listen to their own perspectives and bias. We rather listen to the voice in our heads, then in the room or on the paper, so we end up discriminately tuning out the information, and sometimes missing the whole …show more content…
Because again, not only is listening a skill that we can improve upon, but it is also something that requires constant work. Active listening is a way to listen with intensity, and purpose. You are fully concentrated on the message, and actively fighting off distractions. One of the important elements of active listening, is learning how to listening with out judgement and listen with acceptance. This can be hard for individuals, especially “selfish listeners.” We have to practice removing our own experiences and bias on the speaker message, and avoid criticizing. Instead, we have to learn to listen open and fully, with the speakers intent in mind. You must also ensure that you fully comprehend the message. Paraphrase what the individual just said, either to the speaker, or to yourself, is a great way to confirm and retain what you just understood. You have to be proactive about your understand, even if that means asking questions or for the speaker to clarify information for you. Just make sure if you ask for clarity, to wait till the speak is finished, or has a natural pause. Never interrupt the speaker. If the speaker is talking, you should be