40 Chapter 2 Skills for Career Success
Become an Active Listener
Listening is important to good
communication because you listen
more often than you speak. With
practice, you can develop good
listening skills.
A good listener is an active
listener. This means the listener
gives the speaker some form of
feedback. Feedback lets the speaker
know the message is getting
through to the listener and how it is
being received. The feedback can be
a nod, a smile, or even a comment
that lets the speaker know the
message is received.
A passive listener may hear the
spoken words, but not the meaning
of the words. A passive listener does
not respond to the speaker in any
way. The speaker does not know if
the message is being received or not.
Have you ever spoken to someone
who did not seem to really be
listening to you?
Speaking
Speaking is the most widely used form of verbal communication.
Speaking and listening are equally important in the two-way
communication process.
You spend much of your day speaking with others. The way you
speak affects your life in many ways. It affects your relationships with
your family members and your friends. It affects your daily interactions
with teachers, classmates, coworkers, and employers. Speaking clearly
will help you express your thoughts, feelings, and ideas to others.
Have you noticed that some people have better speaking skills than
others? You could listen to them for hours and not lose interest. With
practice, you too can develop your speaking skills.
Developing Speaking Skills
How good are your speaking skills? Do you send clear messages
when you speak to others? Do others interpret your messages correctly?
The way you speak affects the impressions people form of you. If your
skills need improvement, try using some of these techniques:
•
Keep the listener in mind. Use words the listener will understand.
Life Skills
Active Listening Tips
•
Ask questions to clarify the message.
This shows you are not only hearing what the
speaker is saying, but also processing it.
•
Pay attention. Use eye contact. Avoid daydreaming or
letting your mind wander to other topics.
•
Be interested. You will listen better if you have a sincere
desire to know what the other person is saying and feeling.
•
Be patient. Do not interrupt and take over the speaking role.
•
Keep the speaker in mind. Expect the information to
come from the speaker’s background of experiences
or point of view. Put aside your previous thoughts and
biases.
•
Stay focused. Some people are too busy thinking about
what they will say in response to a speaker. As a result,
they fail to listen to what is said.
•
Use refl ection. Repeat in your own words what you think
was said. The receiver might say, “If I understand you
correctly, you are saying…”.
•
Listen to the speaker’s tone of voice. Sometimes the
way something is said is just as important as what is said.
•
Thi s
Speechwriter
Can you think of other careers
related to the chapter?
Link to
Careers