How To Improve Listening Skills? | 6 Steps To Effective Listening

Techniques to Improve Listening Ability

As everyone knows listening is more important than speaking. If you are listening effectively when communicating.  

This will really create a positive environment for effective communication.

 Following are the technique to improve your listening skills:

L1. Concentrate on what others are Saying: 

Most individuals speak at a rate of 175 to 200 WPM (word per minute). However many researchers suggest that we are very capable of listening and processing the words at the rate of 600 to 1000 words per minute. 

Manager's job today is very fast and complex and because the brain does not use all the capacity when listening, a manager can drift to thinking further questions or explanations rather than listening to the message at hand. 

It is very important to actively Concentrate on what others are saying so that effective communication can happen. 

L2. Avoid Early Evaluation:

Since a listener can listen at a faster rate than most speaker talk, human has a tendency to evaluate too quickly. 
This tendency to evaluate is perhaps the greatest barrier to effective listening. 
It is especially important to avoid early evaluations when listening to the person with whom you disagree.

Whenever the listeners begin to disagree with the sender's message, they misinterpret the remaining information and distort its intended meaning, so that it is consistent with their own beliefs.

L3. Send the Non-verbal Message that you are Listening to:

Whenever someone talking with you maintain proper eye contact, show the speakers that you are listening by nodding your head. 
Make sure your body language transmits the message that you are listening to, avoid your hands playing with other things. Most communication experts also agree that non-verbal messages can be 3 times as powerful as verbal messages. 

Effective communication becomes difficult anytime you send a nonverbal message that you are not really listening to.

L4. Practice Paraphrasing: 

This is a great technique for improving your listening and problem-solving skills. For example, a subordinate says: "You have been unfair to rate me so low on my performance appraisal". 

A paraphrased response can be: "I can see that you are upset about your rating. You think it was unfair to rate you as I did." 

Firstly you have to listen carefully if you are going to accurately paraphrase what you been heard. 
Secondly, the response will clarify for the sender that his or her message was correctly received and encourage the sender to expand on what he or she was trying to communicate. 

L5. Listen and Observe for Feelings: 

The way the speaker is standing in front of you, the tone of voice and inflection he or she is using, and what the speaker is doing with his or her hands are all part of the message that is being sent. 
Whenever a person raises his or her voice in probably either frustrated or angry. 
A person looking down while speaking shows probably either embarrassed or shy. 
Interruptions may suggest a lack of confidence or fear. Whenever a person makes eye contact and leans forward are likely exhibiting confidence. 
An argument that may reflect is a worry. 
Inappropriate silence may be a sign of aggression and be intended as punishment. 

L6. Ask Questions:

This is last but not least, effective listeners make certain they have correctly heard the message that is being sent. 
Ask questions to clarify points and obtain additional information. 
Ask questions to clarify points and often additional information. 
From your questions in a way that makes it clear you have not yet drawn any conclusion. 
This will definitely assure the message senders that you are only interested in obtaining more and better information. 

Also, the more information that you as a listener have, the better you can respond to the sender's communication.