English Communication Skill: Be a Listening Magnet

Communication is connecting with people.  Relationship. And half of the story is listening.

Do you want to be a better listener?  Do you want the other person to know you are truly in the same space with them?

There are four things you can do right now to improve your listening skills.  They are easy and bring immediate results.  Today, we’ll talk about two

1. Clear away the clutter. Noise clutter, desk clutter, even mind clutter.

What to do?

•  When you talk to someone, don’t just mute the television, turn it off.
• If you have something else on your mind, write it down before you enter a conversation. With that note as a reminder, you won’t worry about forgetting to address the issue – and your mind is free to focus on the rest of the conversation.
• Clear your desk – or whatever is between you and the speaker – so you concentrate on what the speaker is saying.
• Don’t accept phone calls or texts while you are talking with someone else. Interrupting a conversation to take a call or review a text makes the person in the room with you feel unimportant – and makes what you have to say seem unimportant.

2. Count to three

Here’s an extraordinarily simple strategy to help you listen more effectively. Just count to three before you speak.  This slight delay enables you to absorb and understand the last statement before you respond.

As you practice this skill over time, actually counting may not be necessary, but the pause always benefits you.  You absorb the message, and you give the other person one last chance to modify the statement or question.  Even if your response is simply that you must consult with your client, spouse, or boss, pausing for three seconds helps you better understand and remember what the other person said.

Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos  for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercise.