Listening Skills in Business
| Author | Jan Hargrave |
| Pages | 462-464 |
Page 462
Expressive skills and receptive skills make up the two skills of communication. Speaking and writing are generally referred to as expressive skills; they provide the means by which people express themselves to others. The receptive skills, listening and reading, are the ways in which people receive information.
It has been reported that senior officers of major North American corporations spend up to 80 percent of their working time in meetings, discussions, face-to-face conversations, or telephone conversations. Most employees spend about 60 percent of the workday listening. Since such a large percentage of one's waking time is consumed by listening activities, it is clear that one's productivity could be increased through listening training.
Listening consumes about half of all communication time, yet people typically listen with only about 25 percent of their attention. Ineffective listening is costly, whether it occurs in families, businesses, government, or international affairs. Most people make numerous listening mistakes every day, but the costs—financial and otherwise—are seldom analyzed. Because of listening mistakes, appointments have to be rescheduled, letters retyped, and shipments rerouted. Any number of catastrophes can arise from a failed communication, regardless of the type of industry. Productivity is affected and profits suffer.
Research indicates that people hear only 25 percent of what is said and, after two months, remember only one-half of that. This is not true at all stages of one's life. First graders listen to 90 percent of what is said, second graders 80 percent, seventh graders 43 percent, and ninth graders only 25 percent.
It is imperative that people strive to improve their listening skills. When having difficulty understanding a document while reading, it can be reread for clarification. Oral messages, however, unless they are mechanically recorded, cannot be heard more than once. The listener may misunderstand, misinterpret, or forget a high percentage of the original message. With proper training, though, listening skills can be improved. It has been proven that with extended, focused training in listening, one can more than double one's listening efficiency and effectiveness.
Communication...
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