Listening for Professional
Development
No doubt we
spend most hours of our days on our job, and a greater percentage of those
hours are spent listening to our superiors, our colleagues, our subordinates,
and even our clients and customers. If
you want to be the toast of your colleagues and clients, simply listen to them.
Apart from this, the habit of attentive listening enhances your personal
competence and performance on the job. The man who listens well will perform
better than his colleagues who are less attentive. To this effect, Hybels and
Weaver (2001:70) say:
Researchers
have found that there is a direct connection between good listening skills and
productivity on the job. When employees were given training in listening before
they received training in computer techniques, they were more productive than
employees who hadn’t had the listening training.
In a
related comment, Carnegie (1940:102) quotes Eliot to have said: “there is no
mystery about successful business intercourse… Exclusive attention to the
person who is speaking to you is very important. Nothing else is as flattering as that”.
The importance of attentive listening for productivity at the workplace
cannot be overstressed. By listening attentively to your superiors, you will
always get the details of their instructions and carry out tasks with little or
no mistake; by listening empathetically to your colleagues and subordinates,
you are better positioned to help and/or enhance them to perform better; by
patiently listening to your clients, you are able to get the essential feedback
you need to improve your product or service and this will ultimately increase
your bottom line.
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