

Selective listening can be seen as rude if we constantly what someone is saying by looking down at our phone instead of making eye contact and asking questions when needed. Selective listening can be harmful to workplace relationships if left unchecked because important information might get lost, leading to more problems than just not knowing what’s going on! By doing this, you’ll avoid misunderstandings and make everyone involved feel included! If you find yourself zoning out during conversations, try your best to focus on what’s being said so there isn’t any confusion later on. With a bit of effort, we can create better workplace communication for everyone involved! Negative effects of selective listening at work It’s important to be aware of how we’re affecting our work relationships by selectively listening to certain things (or people). In each of these examples, selective listening has led to misunderstandings and a lack of trust between co-workers. – At a team lunch, everyone starts sharing weekend plans except for one person checking emails on their phone instead of engaging in the conversation. Your co-worker is giving instructions on what they would like you to do, but because you’re still trying to remember the steps from last time, you’re not really listening. – You and a co-worker are discussing a task that needs to be completed. Email, call 01604 709509 or visit our website. If you would like assistance with your wellness initiatives, please speak to the team at IHRS who can assist you in building a wellness programme tailored to your firm’s specific needs. It not only facilitates friendly, empathetic dialogue, but it also has the ability to boost positivity. A few examples of the benefits are:Īctive listening is more than just paying attention – it is a technique used in counselling, training and solving disputes and conflicts.Īctive listening is a communication skill that enables leaders, executives, and managers to communicate more effectively and resolve issues. This is known as selective listening and distracts us from fully hearing someone at the time, or we might even end up unknowingly interrupting them.Īctive listening is a skill that takes practice but, once mastered, it can be applied to all aspects of your life. Often, when people talk to us, we end up getting caught up in our own thoughts about what we're going to say next to respond to something they've said, or we begin forming opinions about what they're saying. In the busy environment of a workplace or working from home and communicating through video meetings, it's easy to become distracted while someone is talking, either by what's happening around us or by our thoughts.Īt work, active listening can help you respond to people in ways that make them feel understood. In the workplace, we often refer to ‘conscious listening’ as active listening. Summarise – summing up the communication.Appreciate – making noises such as ‘OK’ or ‘hmm’ to show you are listening.Receive – paying attention to the other person.Be conscious of the filters (culture, language, values, beliefs, attitudes, expectations and intentions) through which you listen and make adjustments. For example, listen to the rhythm of the tumble dryer or coffee grinder.Ĭhange your listening position to what's appropriate to what you're listening to. For example, how many different sounds can you hear in a coffee shop? If you prefer a more relaxing experience, sit in a place of nature and try to identify all the different sounds you can hear.įind joy in mundane sounds they can be fascinating. Listen to the individual sounds that contribute to the mix of sounds in a noisy place. Put aside three minutes each day to sit in silence. Julian Treasure, the author of ‘How to be Heard’, suggests five ways to improve your listening: If you are not consciously listening, the information gets lost and becomes background noise.

Having the right intention to listen is known as conscious listening. Intention plays a significant role in listening and absorbing information. We also use filters when listening, and these include: Have you ever been in a meeting, and your mind has drifted… suddenly you hear your name, and you immediately focus your attention back on the meeting?

One of which is called pattern recognition, and one of the most common patterns we recognise is our own name. Our brains use some impressive techniques to do this. Listening is a mental process – a process of extraction. We spend roughly 60% of our communication time listening, but we only retain around 25% of what we have heard.
