How Active Listening Enhances Communication Skills

Being an active listener is a rare quality we find in people these days. Most people love to talk. We are usually thinking of something to say before the other person finishes her thoughts. Letting others know what we think, seems to be more important than what they are saying. That only shows how selfish we are becoming.

Listening as others talk, shows that we care about what they are saying. It also shows that we are interested in their opinions and thoughts. It gives them confidence to share their thoughts without being rejected before they finished speaking. Communication is speaking and listening. We may say people are bored because they don't talk. But do we really give people a chance to talk. I know a lot of people who talk and never listen.

Once the conversation is going, both parties or a group must not only talk but listen. The conversation gets good when we respond to what was said. That's why listening does enhances communication skills. If the person speaking knows someone is listening, he or she will have confidence to share their thoughts and open up to the listener. And it will teach the speaker to be a good listener.

Without communication, we couldn't make it through the day. Communication includes giving and receiving. For example, directions may be given and we must listen to get understanding of what is being said. Once we hear, we respond or ask questions for clarity. At the end of the day, listening will have played a very important role in what I accomplished.

So to be a good communicator, first talk well and with understanding. Then be a good listener. Everyone loves a good conversation. And a good listener will enhance communication skills and give confidence to the speaker. We can stop being selfish in our conversation by putting the attention on the speaker and not on what we think we need to say.

Some people will never talk if they think they will not be heard. And some people just need someone to listen. So before we give our opinion to quickly, let's learn to smile, knod our head, do or say something to let the other person know we are listening. Even if we don't agree, we can still listen. When our time comes to talk, then we can respond to what was said or asked. That way, the convesation can continue for as long as you like.

I love listening. Sometimespeople will call and share somethings they may be going through. The more they talk, I can tell they don't want me to tell them anything, they just wanted someone to listen. As they are talking the answer comes to them. They will thank me for listening and we'll hang up. Did I get angry because I didn't get to share my opinion about the situation? No. I was glad I was there to listen.

There are times I like to talk and share my opinions. Sometimes I find a good listener and sometimes not. I know they are not good listeners, because they respond before I finish my thought. And then I know they didn't hear what I was saying. Those conversations are frustrating and I don't usually talk with those kinds of people often. Even children need parents to listen to them. They talk with more sense than some adults. But if we don't listen, we push them off as, children who don't know what they are saying.

We're living in a time where it is wise to be quick to hear and slow to speak. Giving the wrong answer or saying the wrong thing could make us look foolish in the eyes of others.

Learn more about this author, Denise Harvey.
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