Listening

Bad listening habits and The cures

1.Being Distracted by the Speaker’s Appearance or Delivery　

Habit: Don’t listen to what a speaker is saying because they are concentrating on the person’s speech patterns, gesture, posture, clothes, or appearance

Cure: Pay attention to his or her words

2. Deciding the Topic is Boring

Habit: Some people decide in advance that they will be boring by what the speaker is going to talk about and use this prejudice as an excuse not to listen.

Cure: Never take the attitude “I must sit through another boring talk” Adopt the attitude “ I may as well listen since I’m already here.

3.Faking Attention

Habits: Some people pretend to listening, but their minds are on other things.

Cure; Don’t just pretend to pay attention. Be sincere and take a real interest in the person speaking to you. If you are too busy to listen, ask the speaker if he or she can tell you later when you can really take the time to listen.

4.Looking for Distractions

Habit: Some people allow themselves to be distracted by their surroundings. (window, wall, pencil…)

Curse: Concentrate! Develop the willpower to ignore them.

5.Concentrating on Unimportant Detail

Some people concentrate on specific detail and miss the speaker’s main points.

Cure: Listen for the main point of the talk first; then take note of any supporting facts.

6.Reacting Emotionally to Trigger Words

Habit: Some people ignore or distort what a speaker is saying because they react emotionally to “trigger words”-words that cause positive or negative emotional reactions.

Curse: identify the trigger words-specific words, people, and topics- that affect you. Let the speaker finish what he or she is saying before you past memories to cause you to react emotional.