Listening Is Vital To Effective Communication

Listening is one of the most important parts of effective communication. No matter what method we're using to communicate there are a couple of things it's good to keep in mind:

• First: we understand who we're trying to communicate with
• Second: we know what we want to say before we say it
  

It doesn't make sense to think of what we want to say if we don't know who we're saying it to, or what frame of mind the person we're saying it to might be in. Do you ever get so caught up in the tasks of the day that you become less aware of your surroundings? Sometimes this is beneficial to getting the work done, but if it becomes a habitual state we can miss what's happening around us and this can impair our ability to communicate well.

It's easy to express what's important and relevant to us, without fully considering the person we're expressing it to. This can lead to some frustrating moments for people we spend time with. By observing and listening to someone we can determine what's the best approach or response, or even if it's an appropriate moment to speak.

It requires concentration and effort to listen properly. We might find ourselves replying before the other person has finished talking. By not hearing them through, we may misunderstand what they were trying to say and it's very likely that we leave that person feeling unheard.

Body language and tone of voice are good indicators of meaning and feelings. Trying to understand how another person may feel allows us to remain open to possibilities we may not foresee. It gives us an additional opportunity to open communication in a way that we may otherwise miss.

Just as when we're writing someone a letter, when we write an article, a book, or we speak, we first need to consider if the person receiving it will enjoy reading or hearing it, find it interesting, fun or useful? Sometimes we write or say something for ourselves. If this is so, we need to be extra careful to assess whether it's relevant and interesting before presenting it to someone else.

How we interact flavors our life; it can often even determine what happens in our life and what choices become available to us. It's worth understanding how to communicate effectively to optimize our possibilities and have as much fun as we can in the process.