Barriers for Active Listening
Active listening is a process where people decode messages to determine what a speaker means. Active listening can help people in their interpersonal relationships because it demonstrates caring and an interest in other people. Active listening can also be helpful in the workplace as people try to navigate what is expected from them in their jobs. The importance of active listening necessitates that listeners understand the barriers that can prevent them from making sense of messages. Although some barriers to listening are not in a listener's control, oftentimes listeners can change certain things to become better listeners.
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Noise
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There are different types of noise that can prevent people from listening. Physical noise includes sounds from the background that are independent of speakers and listeners, such as the sound of cars driving by outside. Psychological noise includes the thoughts that listeners have that distract them from a speaker's message. For example, if a listener had a fight with her husband, it might affect her ability to actively listen. Physiological noise is caused by problems that listeners may have with their body, such as a migraine or stomach ache.
Note-Taking
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Although taking notes can help listeners concentrate on the messages they are receiving, it can also be a distraction to actively listening. This is caused when listeners are concerned about how their notes look. Notes should be written legibly, but listeners should not become preoccupied with how the notes look or about any spelling errors that they have made.
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Thinking About Responses
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Sometimes listeners become preoccupied with how they are going to respond to a speaker. This includes worrying about when to respond to a message and the best words to use. When listeners do this, they began paying less attention to a speaker's message and put more attention on themselves.
Bias
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Bias toward a speaker can include judging a speaker's mannerisms, appearance or background. This can distract listeners from the content of a message by focusing more on the messenger than what is actually being said. Listeners should make an effort to put the message in the forefront of their minds and ignore the characteristics of the speaker.
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