The most important communication skill, listening, is often the least developed.
Listening is rarely taught because educators assume listening is synonymous to breathing— automatic. However, effective listening is a skill. Like any other skill, effective listening is achieved through study and practice. No matter how careful one person or group is in communicating their thoughts and ideas in a clear and friendly way, if the listener is not willing to receive the information, communication will fail. Poor listening makes good communication almost impossible. The purpose of this report is to discuss the listening process and identify ways to develop effective listening skills. The areas to be discussed include the differences in hearing and listening, factors for influencing listening, different levels of listening, facts about listening, and ways to improve listening skills. As a person understands the function of listening and as he or she practices the ways to improve listening skills, more efficient communication takes place. Differences in Hearing and Listening