Listening, speaking, reading, and writing well are the four major activities of students who wish to excel

in their studies. Proficiency in listening and skill in reading bring about corresponding efficiency in
speaking and writing because they stimulate and develop the mind. They enable the students to acquire
a rich fund of ideas, develop the ability to concentrate, and induce intellectual activity.

Listening is an exercise in thinking. A student listens, gathers information through the auditory “input”,
and continuously selects and organizes what is heard into a pattern or structure of closely related
thought. Key words and phrases are listed and used as cues to signal the major ideas to which the minor
ideas are concerned.

--- Lapid, Milagros G., et al, English Communication Arts and Skills through World Literature, Philippines,
Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, 2001

Having good listening skills also contributes to effective oral communication. It involves more than just
hearing what is being said. To be an accomplished listener you must be prepared to become actively
involved in the process, demonstrating your willingness to truly understand what the other person is
saying. Being able to speak well is good, but listening to listener’s reactions and comments will enable
you to give meaningful feedback and eventually allow you to make solid connection with those you
communicate with (Frank Garber, downloaded April 2010).
Listening is an active process involving three parts.

1. Hearing. This is the physical aspect of your body receiving and interpreting sounds. You may
hear these words as part of a conversation”... so I recommend selling ...” and yet have no idea
what it is you are meant to sell. Hearing is critical to listening, but it is only the first part.
2. Understanding. This is where your brain processes the words that you hear and dervices
meaning from them in the context of the entire conversation. Not only do you develop
understanding of what you are hearing, information is communicated to you at this stage. In the
above example, you may now be aware that the person is talking about the future profitability
of an investment choice and that she thinks that it is in your best interest to sell now.
3. Response. Once you understand what you are hearing, the last part is responding. Responding in
a conversation shows that you have heard what is said and that you understand the intent of
the speaker. Responding may involve making a decision to act on the information you have
understood and perhaps replying with your opinion or comments. Continuing with the example,
you may now be in a position to agree with the other person and act on the advice to sell.

Benefits of being a good listener:

1. When you listen to the other person with full attention, it shows that you are giving respect to
the person. By giving the person respect, you gain his respect and love.
2. The other person in turn will listen carefully to what you have got to say.
3. Listening skills will help you in knowing more about the person which can be helpful in your
professional life as well as personal life.
4. By knowing more about the other person, you increase your chances of making friends with
him/her. You endear yourself in their eyes.
 5. You can improve relationships with people by being a good and sympathetic listener to their
concerns and problems.
6. Listening skills help in improving conversation skills, and you can avoid many confusions,
misunderstandings and conflicts if only you develop the willingness to lend more attentive ears
to the speaker.

In summary, good listening skills will improve your ability to develop relationships and make you
more productive in practically anything you do. The ability to listen and clearly understand will allow
you to:

1. Develop relationships to a deeper level.

2. Understand what is expected of you – at work, home, and with friends.
3. Be a better team player.
4. Be an effective problem solver.
5. Better support people who need your help.

Listening is an activity that requires practice and concentration. Build up your listening skills by
practicing each of these components to listening.

1. Be willing to be a good listener:

In order to become a good listener, the first step is to develop the willingness. If you are not
willing to do something you will not make the effort. In order to develop willingness, understand
the benefits of becoming a good listener.
2. Respect the other person:
 Unless you respect the other person, you will be unwilling to lend an attentive ear to him/her. If
you develop the habit of respecting everyone, you may find that people start respecting you
more too. In addition to respect, also try to develop genuine interest and liking for people. This
will add warmth to your interaction with them.
3. Focus completely the speaker:
Focus on the speaker and what is being said rather than thinking or composing your own reply,
otherwise you will miss many of the things the speaker is saying.
4. Face the speaker, nod your head and provide visual cues that you are paying attention to
him/her.
5. Don’t interrupt:
Let the speaker finish his statement before you reply. If you want to interrupt the speaker or
raise a point, be patient till you get a chance.
6. Give oral encouragements like “I see”, “I understand”, “I agree”, etc. which will send signals to
the speaker that you are really listening to him/her.
7. Occasionally summarize and repeat back in your own words what you understand from what
they are saying so that they know you’re hearing them and also to prevent any
misunderstanding and confusion. Summarizing what you have understood from the other
person can help in confirming that you got the message correctly, or else – if you had
misunderstood the message the other person can correct his/her stand immediately.
8. If you wish to remember a certain piece of information which the speaker is saying, repeat it
back immediately and aloud. Then, as soon as it is convenient, write down that information
which you want to remember.
9. While at a meeting or conference, take notes. This will help you in remembering key
information. The notes can also be helpful for discussion at the meeting.
 10. Even if the speaker becomes silent for some time or is thinking of something, don’t try to rush
and fill up the silence. Give the speaker a chance to compose his/her thought.
11. Ask questions:
Asking questions is very effective way of showing that you are paying attention. It also helps in
keeping the conversation alive and can provide opportunity for further discussion on a particular
topic.
12. Try to be relaxed:
Whether you are standing or sitting, try to be relaxed and comfortable so that you can pay
better attention to the speaker. If you feel discomfort, then it is likely to distract your attention.
13. Give proper feedback:
People sometimes would be interested in your opinion about a topic. Provide an honest
feedback whenever you are asked where it is appropriate.
14. Develop interest in the other person:
Become curious about the person with whom you are talking. Being curious about another
person helps to validate that person as interesting. On the other hand, showing indifference will
give the impression that the speaker is uninteresting and boring. By becoming curious about the
other person, you will find that the most of the above mentioned listening tips come
automatically to you.
15. While asking questions, try not to ask more than one question at a time. Give him/her chance to
respond to one question before throwing another one at him/her.

--- Sudaprasenrt, Ma. Rovilla C., English for the Workplace 3, Philippines, Quezon City: Great Books
Publishing, 2014