COMMON MISTAKES THAT ARE MADE IN LISTENING

 Dearest  friends,                                                                                      Original article

Here's another life coaching article: how to learn to be good listeners by trying not to make the most common mistakes in listening. 

We all have the ability to listen effectively in different situations and different people. However, it's an active process that needs to be done mindfully, and becoming an effective listener takes practice. There are some common myths or misconceptions about listening that can affect how we feel and actually make the listening process less effective. Here are 5 very common misconceptions about listening:

1. Learning to listen is hard

Everyone learns to listen from a young age, and throughout our lives we spend a lot of our time listening. How well we listen to others will depend on our motivation to listen, the circumstances of the communication and, to some extent, also on our personality. The skills required for effective listening are not difficult to learn. The key to developing your listening skills is practice. It pays to learn to listen. Employers view effective listening as an extremely valuable trait, particularly in management and leadership roles. You will also see benefits in your personal and social life, such as deeper and more meaningful relationships with others.

2. "Hearing" is not the same as Listening

Like breathing, hearing is a passive process: you do it without even thinking about it. Listening, on the other hand, is an active process and a learned skill. Your brain has to work harder to process the information you hear and see in order to understand the meaning of the message. Understanding is the goal of listening. Listening is more than just listening. Effective listeners will focus on the meaning of the words they hear and put them into context to gain understanding . Good listeners will also pay attention to the speaker's nonverbal cues, including general body language, tone of voice, and gestures.

"The best listeners listen between the lines." - Nina Malkin

3. Smart people listen better

There is no link between intelligence and effective listening skills. If an individual is intelligent and has a large vocabulary, this can facilitate information processing and understanding. However, these attributes don't necessarily make them more effective listeners. For example, highly intelligent people may be more likely to get bored with a conversation and start thinking about other things and then not listen. On the other hand, individuals with higher emotional intelligence are more likely to be better listeners.

Emotional intelligence refers to an individual's ability to evaluate, identify and manage their own emotions and the emotions of other people.

 

If someone has a high level of emotional intelligence, then they are more likely to consider another person's emotional needs – assessing those needs often comes through good listening.

    4.   I'm already a good listener

People tend to overestimate their own listening skills and underestimate those of others. We tend to think we are better listeners than other people. Effective listening, however, can only be measured by the depth of understanding we gain. No one is born a good listener. Without practice and training, they are unlikely to be a particularly effective listener. Believing that you are a better listener than others is unlikely to be true unless you have taken the time to learn and practice your listening skills.

4.                  5.  We get better at listening with age

Individuals don't automatically become more effective listeners as they age. Without practice and conscious effort, an individual's listening skills will not improve over time. As an individual goes through life, their listening skills are likely to improve. Whether they use this ability and actually listen more effectively depends on their personalities, their particular situation, and avoiding any bad habits they may have picked up along the way.

"You learn when you listen. You earn when you listen, not only money, but also and above all respect " . —Harvey Mackay

Thank you dear readers for reading my article.
If you want to share your experiences, leave your mark with your comments.
Kisses and hugs