What are the steps to effective listening?

Through listening, one can develop better understanding and relationships.

Few steps to effective listening- 

• Maintain eye contact with the speaker - By no means you should engage in some other activities. You should focus on the conversation and be attentive.
• Be ready to listen - Be free from any distractive thoughts and make your mind clear so that you can receive the information better. Your physical activity says more about your personality and how you behave.
• You should know the art of mirroring - Your actions or emotions should match with the speaker's. This shows that you understand the speaker's problem and listening carefully.
• Don't judge and interrupt in between - Let the speaker finish what he wants to say because responding before finishing can lead to innapropriate judgments.
• Wait to respond at right time - Don't interrupt in between and wait for the speaker to finish his point , then respond. In between interruption will make the speaker forget what he's actually saying or miss a point.
• Give positive feedback - Express through facial expressions. Your body language says a lot about you. your thoughts and mood. Looking somewhere else, constant hand or shoulder movements, these all show that the person seems detached with conversation.

Listening is one of the most important thing to practice, most of the people lack this skill and then faces problem.

This particular activity has an important aspect for an entrepreneur, a person who listen more keenly and effectively can solve problems more effectively and quickly.

The biggest problem or hindrance that one faces when listening is that they looses their focus and begin to think something else and as a result miss certain points.

Other major problem is that many people don't have patience to listen completely what other person is trying today they just jump up to the conclusion and that's how can't practice effective listening.

Here are some strategies for effective listening:

1). One need to be focused on what the person is talking without any distraction.

One must understand and enjoy what the other person is saying

Often try to paraphrase what the other person is saying.

2). Have empathy to what other is saying

This can be practice by paying attention to their body language and should listen with open mind and should not jump up to the conclusion before listening completely to other.

3). Have patience

One should not judge and put a critical hat to what other risk saying, give some time to yourself and think and reflect, have different perspective but have patience to listen effectively.

4). Listen with awareness

This can be practice by listening what other day and compare it with your own knowledge, history, people and the way world operate.

And also by listening and observing for congruency if there is any.