Business Communication, 3rd Edition

Chapter 5

Listening Skills

“Are you listening?.”

—R.G. Nichols andL. A. Stevens

Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Understand how listening is an essential component of communication and management.
2. Know the internal and external causes of poor listening.
3. Know some guidelines for improving listening skills.
4. Understand how to craft reflective and clarifying responses that demonstrate good listening skills.

COMMUNICATION AT WORK

Picture yourself teaching a class on business research methods—not an equally interesting subject for all students. During the course of the lecture, you see that a girl in the last row is busy writing in her notebook, not even once looking towards you. Next to the wall, a student is reading ...