The effectiveness of business communication depends not only on speaking but also on listening to the interlocutor or speaker. Listening is the key to effective communication and a necessary condition for understanding the partner’s position. In general, listening is the process of perceiving, comprehending, and understanding the ideas and thoughts of a communication partner. This ability will focus on the speech of the interlocutor or speaker, the ability to distinguish views and opinions, and the speaker’s emotions.
Listening is a receptive type of speech activity, with the help of which the process of receiving and subsequent processing of a message is realized based on the functioning of the auditory analyzer. Like speaking, listening refers to the types of speech activities that carry out oral communication in any situation and area of communication (Ikonen, 2019). Therefore, effective communication is only in the case of achieving absolute mutual understanding.
There are several types of listening, depending on the methods and the scope of their use. Informational listening implies that the listener is already in the communication process, and makes it clear that he correctly perceives the information received (Sutanto, 2021). There is also empathic listening, aimed at empathizing with the speaker. In the process of empathic listening, a person directs attention to the speaker’s feelings and emotions, not to the meaning of the words. Critical listening is the conscious perception of information, and it analyzes the truth or falsity in the process of communication.
There are usually three main phases in the hearing process. The first phase is the perception of information, its reception, and reading by the senses, not only by hearing but also by sight. The second phase is the comprehension of data, during which, after receiving notification, our brain is engaged in its evaluation and analysis (Ikonen, 2019). The third phase is a reaction to the received data, during which there is feedback, and verbal and non-verbal signals confirming that the listener has received and understood the words.
There is a tangible difference between hearing and listening, which is expressed in the following. Hearing is used to obtain some information for its purposes. Listening, on the other hand, implies caring and empathy towards another person. Hearing means that during a conversation, a person is concerned about what is happening inside themselves. Listening implies that a person will understand the interlocutor’s feelings and listen to them. It is possible to give an example of a conversation between a parent and a child who needs the advice of an adult. It is essential for a parent not just to hear the words of a child but to listen carefully to them and patiently treat their difficulties, as it can create a problem in communication.
There are many barriers to effective listening, among which one can distinguish, for example, immersion in one’s thoughts and lack of mastery of listening techniques. In the first case, people do not listen, not only because they are not interested in the subject of the conversation but also because they are too immersed in their thoughts (Sutanto, 2021). In the second case, people do not listen because they do not know-how. These barriers greatly hinder the process of interpersonal communication, since participants cannot properly exchange information. Some messages and signals may be conveyed and perceived incorrectly, which will lead to a distortion of the original meaning.
Nature has endowed people with the ability to hear – to perceive sounds and words, but to listen – to accurately understand the thoughts expressed – people should learn by themselves. Nonverbal signals that demonstrate attentive listening include facial expressions and facial expressions and posture, and spatial position. The verbal signs that show listening have intonation, speed, clarity of speech, ethics, and compliments. Thus, listening is a complex process that is an essential component of the communication process.
References
Ikonen, A. (2019). On the importance of listening. In foundations in sound design for embedded media (pp. 380-395). Routledge.
Sutanto, L. (2021). Psychoanalytic listening: Between unconscious and conscious. Jurnal Psikiatri Surabaya, 10(1), 13-19. Web.