Good listening requires the temporary suspension of all unrelated thoughts -- a blank canvas. In order to become an effective listener, you have to learn to manage what goes on in your own mind. Technology, for all its glorious gifts, has erected new barriers to listening. Face-to-face meetings and telephone conversations (priceless listening opportunities) are being replaced by email and the sterile anonymity of electronic meeting rooms. Other barriers to listening include:.
worry, fear, anger, grief and depression.
individual bias and prejudice.
semantics and language differences.
Noise and verbal "clutter".
Preoccupation, boredom and shrinking attention span.
We can make it more clear with some of the following points.
I. Physiological Barriers.
a) Hearing Impairment: Sometimes poor listening can be traced to hearing deficiencies. However, once these deficiencies are detected, they can usually be treated.
b) Speaking- thinking rate: On an average, we speak around 125 to 150 words a minute. Our mind, however, can process nearly 500 words per minute. This gives the listeners a good amount of spare time which lets the listener to divert his concentration. Being engaged in taking notes also is likely to miss the next point of the speaker.
II. Environmental Barriers.
a) Physical distractions: Distracting sounds, uncomfortable seating arrangement all can affect effective listening. In the business world noise usually comes from the machines and other equipments. And when the instrument of communication have a defect in them, the communication process becomes difficult and the listener cannot listen properly.
b) Message overload: When you are listening to a quick succession of message, you will find it difficult to listen attentively. You can keep only a few things going at a time. .
III. Attitudinal barriers.
a) Emotional Disturbance: Emotions often affect listening. When the workers are angry or insecured they will not listen to the words of management.
