Listening is the basic and innate skill. The skill develops naturally to all. To elicit, the listening skill begins when the child is in its mothers’ womb. In the womb, the child feels comfort and solace by being attentively listening to the heart beat of its mother. The same child cries when it comes to the new world and fails to hear the heart beat sound. The child stops crying while it is held to the mother’s chest and identifies the heart beat sound. So, it’s very crystal clear how natural the listening skill is. The child automatically learns its’ mother tongue by its’ keen observation and attention. The art of listening increases when each one pays active and attentive form of listening.

Language is not difficult to learn. At the earliest, the listening skill is practiced as the most important one to learn any sort of language. Each one has to practice the art of listening properly to improve the person’s ability to communicate effectively in everyday life. Listening is a device that assists us to mold our approach when communicating with others on diverse levels and gives us the aptitude to either present or receive response. It is evident to report that everyone’s level of listening is unusual based on time, place, feelings, moods etc. The appropriate level of listening enhances the bond of communication.

Listen to glisten in life. Listening is the key to all effective language and life skills. If one wants to glisten in personal and official life, we have to listen. Lend the ears to make the brain and soul to have the strongest connectivity in life. Listening skill builds positive relationship and careers. Further, it develops resourceful and self-reliant persons to solve problems what they face in life.

Listening process should be done rightly at right situation. Listeners should be in an apt state of mind to observe the concept of what they are listening to. Only when there is interest there could be an active listening process. Active listening avoids the barriers in communication. The good bond in personal and official life is maintained through the active listening. One can listen only when one is interested but one can hear regularly. There is difference between listening and hearing. Listening is done intensely and hearing superficially. To succeed and to enjoy in life we have to listen than hear. Hearing can be done while one is involving in other activity. To be cited, while watching television or engaging in any electronic gadgets one can hear to person’s speech. But the same method cannot be adopted for the development of listening skill. Listening skill should be practiced with vivacious energy for better outcome.

The main purpose of listening is to feel comfort and solace among the fellow human beings. Further to lead a determined life, listening paves the primary key of the communication. If the people have to enjoy life, they have to give the proper response after listening. Active listener will be the best boaster to the speaker and will have so many questions to be cleared. Only when questioned to the speaker the session will be live, entertaining and fulfilled. Active listening person promotes appreciation, brings solution and learns to obtain more information.

The word “LISTEN” stands for

L → Lend your ears → which means listen attentively and sympathetically.

I → Interest Field → which means discover the interested area of the subject to listen.

S → Speak less Listen more → in the basic stage one has to listen a lot to gain more information. As uttered by Mark Twain “If we were meant to talk more than listen we would have two mouths and the ear.”

T → Time → which means the listener has to select the right time, place and situation to observe deeply.

E→ Empathize → try to understand and share the feelings rightly to another.

N → Nonverbal Cues → Brief Verbal affirmations is must at the time of listening.

Altogether, while listening pay attentions to the thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Listening skills has various types of listening.

1. 1. Active Listening: When one listens actively there is the best result in gaining of knowledge. Only in active participation there will be response, discussion and feedback. The feedback motivates the speaker and listener to gather the dos and don’ts of the presentation. For active listening attitude, attention and adjustment are necessary. The listener should follow the triple A’s while engaging in active listening.
2. 2. Passive Listening: It is a one-way communication. In this modern world most of the people are passive in listening. This exposes their lack of interest and how far they are without interruption in session. The activity like listening to presentations, Radio, watching movies, mobile etc. are categorized as passive listening.
3. 3. Deep Listening: In order to learn any sort of official or unofficial language, attention is very important. The verbal and non-verbal cues are expected in deep listening. The deep learning paves way for using inculcating ideas and depth visions in communication.
4. 4. Absolute Listening: A complete listening is known as absolute listening which can be done in classrooms without any distraction. It helps to gain enough knowledge and develop the subject knowledge.
5. 5. Critical Listening: The active listener is the best critic. The most excellent critic is the supreme judge. So to evaluate the concept, one has to listen carefully. Active listening facilitates to analyze the source of what one has listened to.
6. 6. Therapeutic Listening: Listening is a therapy. It is a life skill too. It promotes a good environment among our fellow human beings. Therapeutic listening is promoted among friends, colleagues and family to discuss the problems and to bring solution to it.
7. 7. Broad-spectrum Listening: The broad-spectrum of listening can be done to progress the ability of understanding within the listeners. All can listen but only a few can understand and bring out the right feedback.
8. 8. Focused Listening: The listeners have to focus deeply and sincerely to what they are listening to. Focus listening helps to learn particular internal feelings of the speaker. When internal feelings are observed one can give the best comfort and console to the fellow people. It provides better treatment for the happy and satisfied life.

The more you improve your ability to listen the more your ability to speak will improve. For example, when one is “being exposed” as a child, as an immigrant and a job seeker, they engage in listening or hearing to the language spoken around them. When being exposed is done habitually the listeners very soon learn the language to speak.

Listening provides the best benefits for the active listeners. When the listeners attitudes are good, they are respected and it helps to promote their self-esteem and confidence. One can gain a lot of information through the active participation of listening. Better relationships are developed in the course of listening. The listener can have greater clarity and increase likability when they have much patience and adjustment in listening.

Listening skill not only develops the language but also endorses the betterment of life.

Listening skill is the life skill. A life skill helps for the outcome of

• Decision-making and Problem-solving

• Creative-thinking and Critical-thinking

• Communication and Interpersonal skills

• Promotes Self-awareness and Empathy

• Assertiveness and Equanimity

• Buoyancy and Administration of Emotions and Stress

A good listener will listen to what is said and to what is left unsaid or partially said. If the listener fails to listen, he/she cannot empathize with others and they fail to appreciate and understand the feelings of others. When active listening is undone, misunderstanding of body language and ineffective decisions begins. Such passive listening lends the person to be single- minded and arrogant. They start hurting others and lose the unity in society.

Listen to learn and to refresh the life. One can notice how listening changes the life naturally. Good communicator will be the best successor. Likewise, the perfect listener will be the survival of the fittest in the world. Listen to the fellow human beings to console, comfort and endure the life. If you listen, you will glisten is the motto of listening.

References

Lewis, Bennis. Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening: The Four Basic Language Skills and How to Practice Them. 2017.

Mason, Tom. The Online Conversation Leader Hand Book. 1999.

Van Duzer, Carol. “Reading and the Adult English Language Learner.” 1999.

Richards, J. Communicative Language Teaching Today. 2006.