Are you Listening?

I want to listen!!!

Certain skills, once mastered, enrich our lives forever. Listening, one such neglected skill is truly valuable in every aspect of life and business. Listening affects all communication and we spend more time engaging in listening than any other form of communication, yet we still practice unlistening. Listening is the deliberate process by which we receive, understand and retain aural stimuli. Almost everyone can hear, but few can really listen well. Effective listening is hearing and understanding the message being sent and using body language to confirm that you are listening.

People find it very hard to listen just because they don't want to; and more importantly they are not trained to. Listening; just like reading, speaking, and writing is a skill in itself that needs to be taken care of, especially by the educators at all the levels. Poor listening is also one of the major reasons to unacceptable (poor) English speaking. At least, half an hour of listening (not hearing), to the native speakers of the language is required in order to attain proficiency, especially if you are the second or the third learner.

Happy Listening!!!