Effective Listening Skills

Effective Listening Skills are important talents that a leader or manager must develop to be successful.  Effective listening skills are also extremely important to effective communication between two individuals. Distractions can lead to ineffective listening skills.  Typical distractions include:

• Daydreaming
• Thinking about another topic
• Lack of interest in the topic

Listed below are skills that a leader can learn, and practice, to make them a more effective listener:

• The first step to becoming a more effective listener is to act like a good listener.
• The second step to effective listening is to look at the speaker.  When you are looking at the speaker, your eyes can pick up the nonverbal signals sent out from the speaker.
• Once you make eye contact with the speaker, you should send back nonverbal signals to the speaker, which allow him to understand that you are engaged in the conversation.  For example, mirroring the emotion of the speaker with your face.
• Use receptive language when listening, using phrases such as "yes" and "uh huh."  You cannot listen when you are speaking.

Finally, concentrate on what the speaker is saying.  Listen to their point of view, and do not mentally argue with the speaker, this will allow you to be a more effective listener.