CS Chapter 3: Listening

Whew! After a long break of vacation trip and busy handling work, I finally had some time to
get back to my blog, haha...

As discuss from previous chapters, its time for new Topics: Good listener.

Ever thought of how good a listener can you be before? Its very easy to be a listener but just how good can you be?

As posted previously, communications is a Half-Duplex kind of system in order to send and receive a full 100% of messages through to each other.

But when people gets excited on certain topics discussed or eager to argue over certain matters and issues, What happens? In such a scenario, people tends to interrupt the conversations and talk as much as they can before they forgets. In this way, how well do you think each party can receive the messages?

There's also a scenario whereby when the topics becoming dull and boring, or when there are other things in each mind that's distracting and bothering them, can these people receive a full 100% messages?

These are the barriers to communications and classified into 2 categories:

Internal - Mental Flights, Selective Listening and Jump to Conclusions



External - Presenter's Delivery and External Environment

Its very natural for any living things on earth to possess these barriers to communications as an indication of whether they are interested in the topics discussed or not.

But when we do a proper communication, do we always 100% stay focus and listen till the end of the other party's speech before we start talking? If you do, congrats! You'll be a calm, good listener and an analyser of any situation, which perhaps you have the ability to becoming a great leader!

There are 3 types of listening habits, in which everyone of us can possess all these 3 types of habits depending on different situations.

Passive Listening: Usual responses are "Uh huh", "yes", "good", "right", "hmmm", "ok", "yeah", nodding head, eye contact etc.

Active Listening: Usual responses would be echoing, repeat, clarify, paraphrase and asking questions. Such reaction will let people know you are attentive to the person's conversation, but do not do such responses when someone talks halfway through and you interrupt to repeat the paraphrases. It'll might be reflected as rude and irritating.

Reflective Listening: Usual reponses are to summarise what one has talked and gives some feedbacks.

People can FEEL your emotions even by just talking over the phone or in cyber chatting when the above 3 types of listening habits are used!!

Its very simple to master the listening skills where all you need to do is to be patient and be attentive! Such a habit can let you understand the conversations well and be able to analyse situations more clearly and precisely!

Next it'll be the 4As to deal with any Customers you have faced.

Note: All the Chapters discussed are in theory basis, there's no straight right or wrong answers, its just a set of guidelines to handle anything properly. The theory reacts differently to different situations and depending on how flexible each individual applies it. But if there's no starting to try and apply, there's no starting at all. Practise to make perfects!