LISTENING

 

According to social scientists, verbal communication skills account for 7% of the communication process. The other 93% consist of nonverbal and symbolic communication and are called listening skills. Listening involves the ear, the eyes, undivided attention, and the heart.

Listening is described in numerous studies as the most prominent kind of communication. It has been identified as one of the most frequent problems in marriage, one of the most important in family and social settings, and one of the most important on-the-job communication skills. Often people think that because they can hear, listening is a natural ability. It is not. Listening effectively requires considerable skill and practice and is a learned skill. Listening skills have been described as either ‘listening with our hearts’ or ‘hearing between the words.’

Listening is a process that consists of five elements: hearing, attending, understanding, responding, and remembering. Hearing is the  physiological dimension of listening that occurs when sound waves strike the ear at a certain frequency and loudness and is influenced by background noise. Attening is the process of filtering out some messages and focussing on others. Understanding occurs when we make sense of message. Responding consists of giving observable feedback to the speaker such as eye contact and appropriate facial expressions. Remembering is the ability to recall information. Listening isn’t just a passive activity; we are active participants in a communication transaction.          – Gwen Nyhus Stewart