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Effective listening is necessary
- To prevent breakdown in communication
- To increase the creative power to imagine
- To make the speaker feel important
- To learn about or evaluate the people
- To understand and act accordingly
Listening is as important in conversation as talking. Good listening involves encouraging other people to say interesting things, understand the things that they tell you, and being sensitive to the thoughts and feelings that underlie the things that they tell you. Listening must be active as well as passive. It is not enough just to listen: you must show that you are listening. Body, face, eyes and voice,-all should combine to tell the other person that you are taking in what he or she is saying. Good listening will bring out the best in your partner in conversation- even the dullest-seeming person has interesting and valuable insights to give and information to pass on. Poor listening, by contrast, will lead to misunderstanding, boredom, and ill feeling.
Thinking as you listen
To be a better listener, think less about yourself and more about the conversation. It is only natural to be concerned about, the impression you are making on another. But don’t let this obsess you. Instead, focus on the other person, and on what he or she is saying. Remember, conversation is almost always indirect. Often, the most important message of a conversion is left unsaid. You must be ready to deduce them. Be alert to what lies behind another person’s words. Use your eyes as well as your ears.
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