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Overcoming Listening Barriers

This document discusses barriers to effective listening and strategies to overcome them. It identifies common barriers like distractions, environmental factors, cognitive limits, and multitasking. It then provides seven strategies to improve listening: 1) minimize distractions, 2) prioritize listening over speaking, 3) reduce outside noise, 4) practice reflecting instead of deflecting, 5) ask questions, 6) listen fully before giving advice, and 7) practice active listening. Active listening involves preparing to listen, observing verbal and non-verbal cues, and providing appropriate feedback to show attentiveness.

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Gaurav Singh
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1K views13 pages

Overcoming Listening Barriers

This document discusses barriers to effective listening and strategies to overcome them. It identifies common barriers like distractions, environmental factors, cognitive limits, and multitasking. It then provides seven strategies to improve listening: 1) minimize distractions, 2) prioritize listening over speaking, 3) reduce outside noise, 4) practice reflecting instead of deflecting, 5) ask questions, 6) listen fully before giving advice, and 7) practice active listening. Active listening involves preparing to listen, observing verbal and non-verbal cues, and providing appropriate feedback to show attentiveness.

Uploaded by

Gaurav Singh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Overcoming barriers to

listening
• Listening skill is generally judged as passive and
simple task and less important than other skills of
communication- speaking, reading and writing, but
it is not just the ability to absorb information from
someone else.
• It is the most fundamental and useful element in
the process of communication, hence, it should be
improved.
• Listening plays a crucial role when it comes to Oral
Communication. While a speaker communicates the
intended message orally, the listener plays an equally crucial
role to make the communication a successful one. Speaking
and Listening go hand in hand.
• The success of a Communicator lies mainly in the patience
level of a receiver. While good listeners elicit the maximum
value out of the speakers, bad listeners tend to spoil the very
intention of oral communication.
Common barriers to listening
While effective listening is an important soft skill to learn and practice, there are several barriers to listening in the workplace,
including:

General distractions
• Distractions can include things like background noise or colleagues interrupting.

Environmental factors
• Environmental factors like room lighting and temperature can impede listening.

Cognitive limits
• Inadequate sleep, feeling hungry, disorganization and a lack of preparation for your work can make it more difficult to focus
effectively.

• Technology and multitasking


• Although technology can improve the workplace in many ways, it can also be distracting. You might feel like you are successfully
multitasking if you are listening to a speaker or on a conference call while answering emails. However, multitasking may also
make your listening less effective.
How to overcome the barriers of listening

1. Minimize distractions.
2. Prioritize listening over speaking.
3. Reduce outside noise.
4. Practice reflecting instead of deflecting.
5. Ask questions.
6. Listen fully before giving advice.
1. Minimize distractions

• To avoid getting distracted, make sure you are physically facing the
speaker and attempt to make frequent eye contact with them while
they are speaking.
• Make sure you are seated or standing comfortably but appropriately
so you can remain engaged.
• Put away your cell phone or any other pieces of technology that could
become a distraction.
• The speaker may also appreciate the gesture you’ve made to show
them that they have your undivided attention.
2. Prioritize listening over speaking

• If you think you might be an excessive talker, try to practice self-


control in conversation.
• Give the other person room to speak.
• During any conversation with a co-worker, wait until they’re finished
speaking before you respond to show respect for what they’re saying.
Finally, observe your listeners’ reactions as you talk.
• If you notice signs of distraction in someone you are speaking with,
consider asking questions to encourage them to talk more and direct
their focus back on the conversation.
3. Reduce outside noise

• Before having a conversation, minimize sound in your environment


that could be distracting or make it more challenging to hear.
• A noisy environment can create distractions for both listeners and
speakers, resulting in possible disruptions to conversations.
• To minimize noise, turn off mobile devices or place them on silent.
Plan to hold important conversations in a place that you know will be
quiet, like your office or a private meeting area.
• If someone is talking loudly outside your office or making other
distracting noises, it is often better to politely ask them to move
elsewhere or keep the noise down.
4. Practice reflecting instead of deflecting
• To bond with your conversation partner or show them you’re engaged, you may feel eager
to share your personal experiences when listening.

• However, a better approach typically involves merely listening and providing responses that focus on
the other person’s situation. This shows that you’re genuinely invested in their side of the conversation.

• To listen effectively, keep deflecting to a minimum and try reflecting instead. Reflecting
involves paraphrasing back to the speaker what they have said.
• To do so, you could use language like, “What I am hearing from you is...” or “It sounds frustrating that
that happened to you.” Reflecting could also involve asking a follow-up question based on what you
have heard, such as “What did you do after he said that?” or “How did that make you feel?”

• Reflecting assures your listener that you are paying close attention, but it can also help to
correct any possible misunderstandings.
• Reflecting allows the other person to correct what you may have misheard.
5. Ask questions

• In addition to reflecting, asking questions is an effective listening


technique.
• Focus on asking questions based on what the speaker has already told
you and are designed to elicit more information.
• The best questions are non-judgmental and flow directly from
something the speaker has recently said.
6. Listen fully before giving advice

• It can sometimes be tempting to offer advice after someone shares a


problem or concern with you, especially if you want to help them solve that
problem.
• However, wait to advise unless the speaker specifically asks for it.
• Sometimes people share their concerns in the workplace simply to build bonds with
colleagues or to make a co-worker aware of a problem.
• Sharing issues can be a way to start introducing conversations deeper than small talk.

• If you want to share advice, think first about whether your colleague is truly
soliciting advice or just looking for a way to vent.
• Instead of advising, consider offering empathy with responses such as, “That sounds
frustrating,” or try reflecting instead.
7. Practicing active listening
Active listening is the practice of preparing to listen, observing what verbal and
non-verbal messages are being sent, and then providing appropriate feedback for
the sake of showing attentiveness to the message being presented.

• Active listening refers to a pattern of listening that keeps you engaged with your
conversation partner in a positive way. It is the process of listening attentively while
someone else speaks, paraphrasing and reflecting back what is said, and withholding
judgment and advice.

• When you practice active listening, you make the other person feel heard and valued. In
this way, active listening is the foundation for any successful conversation.
7. Practicing active listening
Methods for active listening !

1.Look for opportunities to practice listening


• Because conversation is integral to everyday life in addition to the workplace, you should have plenty of
opportunities to hone this soft skill. While you are conversing with someone, plan to use an effective listening
response, such as asking questions.

2.Reflect on your conversations


• After a conversation, take some time to think about whether you were listening effectively and what kinds of
barriers may have occurred. Then, you can think about how you might handle such obstacles in the future.

3. Focus your conversations on the other person


• To help prevent listening barriers before they arise, approach conversations with the mindset that you genuinely
want to learn more about the other person while they talk. This can naturally help you get rid of distractions and
focus only on the conversation you’re having.

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