Listening is not the same as hearing, listening tends to be a developed skill while hearing is much more instinctive. Often when we think about a great friend we identify one of their strong points to be that of a great listener. We probably could cite their feedback and interactions, including allowing us to rant or vent as strong points to their listening skills. Workplace listening may have similar strengths but what we may not stop to realize are some of the barriers that prevent us from listening effectively.
While there are many barriers here are few that make the list:
- Noises that attract our attention (elsewhere)
- Room temperature too hot or too cold
- Voice volume or faulty sound system in training sessions
- Interruptions (phone calls, people moving about)
- Clock watching, time constraints, work overload
Listening tends to be a developed skill and by identifying external barriers we can help to improve the quality of any listening and feedback exchange. Most of the items cited above represent external distractions or barriers, what can you add to this list?
