FACTORS OF LISTENING PROBLEMS:
Stress; an individual’s participation will flounder if one is absorbed in other pressing
matters. -- Anxiety; rebuttal often takes precedence over what is actually being said,
since the fear of forgetting looms within us. -- Environment; we tend to be more interested
in the setting and those around us than what is being said. -- Assumptions; we jump to
conclusions prior to receiving all the evidence. -- Bias; we discount the statements of those
we do not perceive of as important. -- Egocentrism; we discard information that we do not
want to hear or that we do not like. -- Passivity; many of us are not actively involved in
our surroundings.
IS ANYONE LISTENING TO ME?:
Distraction is inevitable if employees are not in tune with personal and company goals
and expectations. Although an individual may prefer performing tiny feats of self-adornment,
such as reverse rotation thumb twiddling or cubicle spit balling, while listening,
colleagues will perceive this restlessness as indifference, as well they should. While
we are capable of performing simultaneous tasks, we never do more than one thing at once
to perfection, especially when listening is involved. Being an active listener
means listening 100 percent. Employees should not do anything which may distract
themselves, others and the speaker, such as organizing their desks, answering the
telephone, staring out the window, or tapping their fingers while listening.
Distraction is not only caused by visual cues but by emotional ones as well.
EVALUATE EMPLOYEES’ LISTENING
SKILLS: Recognizing the signs of poor listening is
the first step to overcoming communication barriers. There
are several reasons why an individual may have difficulty
listening, but there are a handful of small flaws that become
major problems if left uncorrected. Management with communication
deficiencies can filtrate throughout an organization resulting
in mis-communication throughout departments. Employees who
know how to listen properly can side step certain problems,
gaining the information they need no matter what obstacles
are present.
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