LISTENING DEFINITION HOW TO
LISTENING DEFINITION PROFESSIONAL

Relate what you hear to what you already know or situations that are similarĬontinue working to stay engaged and don’t give up Once you catch yourself drifting mentally, bring it backĪpply the information mentally to your situation If you find it hard to pay attention, try these tips to stay engaged. Yes, you should pay attention but that can be really hard to do and it takes some work and practice. But how many meetings have you been in where there are people doodling on paper, playing with their phones, checking computers and email?

It seems obvious if you’re going to listen to someone, you need to pay attention. Some ways you can practice active listening include: Listening implies that you’re paying attention to what you’re hearing. Your ears automatically hear but that doesn’t mean that you process what you’re hearing or that you even notice what you’ve heard. One way to think of active and passive listening is to think of hearing versus listening. Plus, when you have a reputation as a great active listener, others will be more likely to take your word when you pass along the details of a conversation. This goes for your partner as well as a client - truly, active listening is one of the most transferable skills out there. People will trust you more if they feel they can talk to you without being judged or interrupted. Productivity can’t really thrive without at least a few active listeners in the room. Active listeners don’t miss out on crucial information, and if they do, they’re not afraid to ask questions and get confirmations. In both big-picture strategy and the minute details of a project, misunderstandings can be deadly time-wasters. Great active listeners are also able to incorporate what they hear into their own lives, thus building an ever-growing base of knowledge that they’ve acquired from the wisdom of others. Whether it’s a problem that needs solving or a topic that you need to study, being an active listener makes it easier to pick up on new information. That’s what hiring managers are interested in.

LISTENING DEFINITION PROFESSIONAL

In a professional setting, this means that collaboration becomes more natural and projects get done more quickly and with better results. People enjoy speaking to those who really pay attention to what they’re saying. Active listeners have an easier time making friends and making acquaintances feel comfortable. You build and maintain better relationships. Consider the following ways that being a great active listener can benefit you: Active listeners aren’t just waiting for their turn to speak - their attention is solely on the speaker’s words.Īctive listening has a number of benefits in both your personal and professional lives. On the flip side, active listeners will make a speaker feel heard by using both verbal and non-verbal cues to indicate that they are engaged and interested. Have you ever asked someone if they’re listening to you and they can repeat the words, but you can tell they really didn’t hear what you said? This is passive listening. Passive listening is hearing the words someone is saying and then either missing the point or not being able to fully incorporate their statements into the rest of the conversation. It might be easiest to understand active listening by contrasting it to passive listening. It’s not just about hearing what the speaker is saying, but the ability to understand the message, really process the information and incorporate it into your knowledge base, and then respond appropriately, whether that response is verbal or physical. When practicing active listening you should pay attention to what they are saying, keep an open mind, and ask questions when it’s appropriate.Īctive listening helps the speaker feel heard by using both verbal and non-verbal cues to indicate that they are engaged and interested.Īctive listening is a method of listening that involves focusing entirely on the speaker, doing your best to understand what they’re trying to communicate, and responding in a considerate way that shows you’re paying attention.

LISTENING DEFINITION HOW TO

We’ll cover what active listening is, why it’s so important, examples of active listening skills and methods, and provide tips on how to highlight your active listening skills during a job search.Īctive listening is critical for the health of our personal relationships as well as our professional ones. You’d be surprised how many candidates have the right technical chops, yet miss out on job opportunities because they’re not great listeners. In the world of soft skills, there’s one hiring managers and recruiters value more than most: active listening.

Listening definition