Listening effectively is just as important as speaking effectively, and is generally much more difficult. Although numerous barriers to effective listening can make it difficult to practice, there are several habits one can adopt that will lead to a higher level of listening proficiency.

Listening is the most important part of the communication process. However, listening skills do not come naturally to most people; they require will, practice and patience to develop.

There are many reasons why people fail to listen successfully. These include:

1. interrupt

2. Judge

3. Feigning caution

4. Getting emotional

5. Tuning

6. Jump to conclusions

7. Get distracted.

Disruption is a problem for many reasons. First, it is aggressive behavior and will most likely bring a negative response from the speaker being interrupted. Second, it’s hard to listen and talk at the same time. When the listener interrupts, they are certainly not fully listening.

Feigning attention (often associated with disengaging) can be offensive and is usually difficult to hide. This is hurtful and sends the message to the speaker that the listener doesn’t really care what the speaker says. If a person cannot actively listen in the present moment, it is best to let them know and suggest that the communication process be postponed until a point where there are no distractions.

Getting emotional can hinder the ability to listen. It is important that the receiver is aware of his emotions. If the sender is sending a message that is offensive, it is important to recognize that fact and be aware of the fact that something is threatening to interrupt the process. When a receiver is angry, it’s easy to miss the most important part of the sender’s message.

To avoid jumping to conclusions, it may be helpful for the listener to wait until the speaker has finished before responding. It can also be helpful to ask questions throughout the conversation to clarify issues or to let the speaker know that she is communicating in a way that suggests something, which may not be what she intends to say.

It’s easy to get distracted when trying to communicate. Often one has many tasks to do or many other activities while someone is trying to communicate. This can be a problem because it leads to miscommunication, feigning attention, and disconnecting all together, all of which threaten future communication.

Although the reasons for hearing failure are numerous, there are many ways to improve listening skills. These are:

1. Give hints that you are actively involved

2. Concentrate

3. Refrain from formulating an immediate response

4. Try to prepare in advance

5. Be prepared to accept reviews

6. Make sure the environment is conducive to listening.

Clues that one is actively listening can be very helpful. It is important that the speaker feels that the listener cares about what the speaker is saying. This is because it tends to send a message about whether or not the listener cares about the speaker in general. When people feel that you don’t care about them, they don’t trust you and the communication process breaks down quickly. Therefore, it is important to use verbal and nonverbal cues that you are listening, including eye contact, gestures, and acknowledgment statements.

Concentration requires will and practice. Practicing active listening helps with concentration, but there are other elements that contribute to your ability to focus on what someone is saying. When you’re involved in an information exchange, you can’t multitask. It’s important to position yourself in a way that maintains eye contact while allowing you to observe body language and other forms of nonverbal communication.

It is important to refrain from formulating an immediate response. You won’t be able to fully concentrate on forming a genuine understanding of what the speaker is trying to say if he’s too busy thinking about what he’s going to say in response to them when it’s his turn to talk. Instead, it is important to approach communication as a dialogue. Dialogues help us learn what others have to say by forcing us to think about their message and acknowledge what we’ve heard rather than just respond with our own opinions.

Preparation can have a huge impact on the outcome of a dialogue or any form of communication. To prepare for an interaction where effective listening will be important, it is essential to keep in mind the purpose of the exchange. What decisions need to be made and how the collaboration between sender and receiver relates are important factors to consider. It is also helpful to approach the situation with an attitude of concern and a desire to know the truth. Dialogue should be seen as an opportunity to discover the truth and move forward, rather than a challenge or conflict.

A willingness to accept revisions will keep the communication process running smoothly. Often people are so busy trying to make their case that they don’t really stop and think if they could be improved or looked at in a different way. This is what is often referred to as “spending 90 seconds voicing an opinion and 900 seconds blindly defending it.”

Choosing the right environment is important because it will help the listener to focus and avoid distractions. While there is no one set environment that is best for all communications, it is generally best to avoid areas where there are high levels of activity, loud noise, uncomfortable temperature, poor airflow, etc.

The implementation of these techniques requires will and patience. However, the effort is well worth it, as the long-term benefit of better communication skills will greatly increase your chances of success in the business world. Effective listening is the most important part of the communication process. It’s probably the hardest to master as well. There are many barriers to effective listening, but practicing listening techniques will help you overcome these barriers and become a good listener.