Tuesday, 3 June 2014
Hearing and listening have been the two terms that are sometimes, though incorrectly, used interchangeably. The two however are two completely different. Listening is an virtue that few are blessed with, though people tend to have different levels of listening competencies.
Commonly found are the cosmetic listeners who pretend to listen while they are wandering somewhere else mentally. This just does not work if the objective is to absorb the details in the other persons talk. Conversational listening is superficial and is often used in informal, social environments and most people carry this well, yet not adroit in getting to the bottom of the other persons communication.
Active listening takes effort, attention, focus, and active confirmation through gestures or affirmations, while one proactively seeks to understand the meaning of the received communication. The ultimate aim of achieving highest level in the art of listening is to practice deep listening, wherein one attains state of meditating, and almost intuitive or telepathic in his understanding of the communication.
Listening is an art that requires practice, and can often be developed through feedback mechanisms, and some basic exercise routines. It is important that one builds it as a strong internal strength for a better interpersonal result in all situations.