The main condition of the communicator is knowing how to listen, because true communication does not start by speaking but by listening.
In this monograph the steps to conceptualization and other important aspects that are actively listening are addressed; Tools are also provided to achieve this active listening, as training in it is vitally important, especially that future communicator.
Introduction
According to Carmen Margarita Bassoon, listening is unconditionally welcoming the other as he is and as he is. Listening is an essential and most important element of communication; the one that gives it, together with the feedback, its bidirectional character and closes the communication process.
Listening is a volition: wanting to listen
Listening means directing attention to the other's words, trying to achieve an exact perception of the spoken word and extract the essentials of the message heard and not make judgments in advance, without having fully understood the information provided by the interlocutor.
Development
Trying to understand the facts and the feelings expressed by the speaker, and then rethink them and check that he correctly understood the most important thoughts and feelings expressed by his interlocutor is what the group of authors, in the text Conflict resolution program for the primary and middle education, defined as: active listening.
In any type of communication obstacles arise that hinder it, what can these be?
Two types of listening obstacles should be highlighted: Cognitive and Attitudinal.
The main cognitive obstacle lies in the difference in rhythm between listening and thinking: the listener's thinking can be faster than the words he receives, or vice versa.
There are some resources to keep listening skills coordinated with the sender's speech; the person who knows how to listen can mentally follow the line of thought of the interlocutor, select which are the main ideas of the message, remember the previous ideas and relate them to those that are happening and show signs of understanding or difficulty of understanding.
The main attitudinal obstacle to full listening is the tendency to judge; It works as a perceptual filter and can cause distortions in the message that someone transmits to us, caused by preconceived ideas or stereotypes about the person or the content of their intervention.
Others are:
- Rehearse: Be thinking about what you are going to say when your interlocutor finishes speaking. Daydream: Let your mind wander around. Judge: Classify your interlocutor. Filter: Hear only part of the conversation and ignore the rest.Complete: Interrupting the interlocutor to complete the sentence that he has not yet finished expressing because you think you know what he is going to say.Read the thought: Try to guess what the person is saying without even asking him to explain.Interrupt: Interfere with what the other person is saying or in the conversation. Reassure: Tell the person that everything is fine and ignore their feelings.
These obstacles make listening incomplete or may even manifest externally in dialogue.
So it is convenient to learn to listen actively to achieve better communication, but when to use active listening and for what purpose.
Before acting, arguing or criticizing. When the other person experiences very strong feelings, she wants to discuss the problem or put her thoughts in order and during a direct reciprocal conversation there are some moments when active listening can be put into practice for the purpose of:
- Check if you have understood not only the words spoken but the meaning they have. Show interest. Eliminate the syndrome of "they do not understand". Allow the person to think about what they have said. Stimulate people to explain more deeply.Pulling out hidden meanings.
To achieve adequate active listening, you must:
- Show understanding and acceptance through the tone of your voice, facial expressions, gestures, eye contact and posture. Try to put yourself in the place of your interlocutor by understanding what he is saying and the feelings he is evoking. What you are saying Maintain a neutral position Do not take sides Never place anyone in an inferior position Do not minimize your interlocutor Reframe thoughts Reflect feelings Pay attention to your interlocutor regarding: The tone of voice, facial expression, gestures, eye contact and posture. In order to prevent some type of communication blockage, avoid:
Interruptions, advice, suggestions, bring up feelings or problems similar to those of your interlocutor.
On the other hand, there are tools for active listening and the following are offered:
- Encourage: Show interest in what the other person is saying and encourage them to keep talking. Do not agree or disagree. Clarify: Ask questions, if needed, to understand what has been said, or if you are confused. Reframe: Repeat the fundamental ideas in your own words to demonstrate that you heard and understood what was said. he was told. It is very important to restate the most relevant points and do it briefly. Reflect: The purpose of the reflection is to show your interlocutor that you understand how he feels. Summarize: Reframe the essential points to review and recap the most important ideas. The result is a good technique to use when people seem to wander in circles and want to return to the fundamental channel of the talk.
It is really important to train in listening because the benefits and advantages can be multiple.
Robertson identifies that listening is beneficial, since it increases the self-esteem of the person who speaks, generating a positive climate for communication and interpersonal relationships. Indirectly expands vocabulary. Several studies have shown that the most successful individuals, regardless of their occupation, are those with the largest vocabulary. One reason why these people do better is because they have more options for solving problems.
Man thinks in the form of categories that are defined by words. The broader the vocabulary, the greater the ability of the categories of thought to provide mechanisms with which to identify and solve problems. The most effective means of expanding vocabulary and, therefore, of having a better variety of options, are through reading and speaking attention. Also, those who know how to listen carefully discover and benefit not only from the style of others, but also from the content of their messages, therefore it can be said that they learn indirectly.
Advantage:
- It reduces tension. You make friends. You stimulate the speaker. You help make better decisions. You take advantage of the experience of other people who work in the same field. You learn to work better.
Conclusions
It would be significant to highlight the importance of the development of active listening as it provides the individual with knowledge, education, as the above precepts lead those who know how to listen to be respectful to their interlocutor and strengthen interpersonal relationships based on mutual understanding and respect..
Bibliography
Báez García, Mireya. Towards more effective communication. Editorial Pueblo and Education. Cuba. 2006.
Collective of Authors. Conflict Resolution Program for Primary and Middle Education. (one).
González Castro, Vicente. Profession: communicator. Editorial Pablo de la Torriente. Havana City, 1989.
Fernández, González, Ana María and co-authors.: “Educational Communication”. Editorial pueblo y educación, 2002.
Melendo, Maité. Listen to her. Type Brower. Bilbao. 2001.
NGO the Telephone of Hope. Communication course, study document, sixth session, 2004.
