SKILLS FOR LISTENING

Listening is not an easy skill to master, we also have have different attention span.

You can develop and master the skill of listening by doing the following:

Listen Actively: To be a good listener, you must be an ‘active listener. This means you should let the speaker know that you are listening. You should make eye contact, nod your head and remain attentive. You can let the speaker know you have listened by asking a good question, summarizing or by offering compliment or comment. Finally, think about what the speaker is saying and restate it inside your mind or paper.

Listen Accurately: Hearing is not the same as listening. Listen with your ear and your mind.

Think about what is being said, not about what you are going to say as soon as you get a chance.

Listen with pen in your hand. Jot down a word, phrase, or question to help you remember what has been said and what you want to add. Then, when the speaker stops, you can offer ideas.

Helpful Hint: Keep an open mind about the speaker and the topic, do not conclude beforehand that you are not going to like what is about to be said.

Know When and How to Interrupt: If you are a good listener, you will sooner or later have a burning question to ask or an important fact to add. Even so, interrupting someone who is speaking is not usually a good idea. If you do feel you must interrupt to add important information to the discussion, say excuse me, when you finish I have something to add.

Sometimes, it is also necessary to interrupt a group member who has wandered off the topic. When that happens, you are right to say, ‘ Excuse me,.. but I think we should get back to the main point of our discussion.’ Or if someone is ‘haggling’ the discussion, try to interrupt on someone else’s behalf by saying, ‘ Excuse me, … but yesterday Ade said something about this…

Learn how to respond when you are interrupted: When you are interrupted without good reason by a group member, you can say, ‘ I haven’t finished making my point yet.’ Or’ could you please let me land?’. Whatever you say, say it courteously. You can discourage interruption by keeping what you say short and to the point. by Awosanya Tolulope