7 Characteristics Of A Good Listener
By: A. R. Chaudhary
Tags: Self Improvement, Personal Development, Self, Ｍedium, Society

7 Characteristics Of A Good Listener

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

For the first few years of our life, we don’t speak but listen to others. This excellent listening in the early years makes us so efficient that it’s become the baseline of our relationships and our worth in society. As Robert Brault said, “A child seldom needs a good talking but a good listening.”

But we forget that this is also important in our adult life too and we forget to use this skill efficiently, and we think that only speaking is essential, and that starts creating problems for us everywhere. Either it’s our relationships or our professional relations, everything will be affected if we don’t enhance your listening skills.

One way to say whether you’re a good listener is to analyze your listening purpose. Mostly you listen until you get the response you’re waiting for, so you can respond. But it’s not good listening practice to listen to someone to respond to them or refute their point.

There are some essential characteristics of a good listener everybody should know.

Listen to Learn

You’re not a good listener if you’re always worrying about how you should respond to what the speaker says. Good listeners should not concentrate on what they will next add to the discussion. They listen to the method and understand instead. Try pretending you can’t react or answer to the speaker if you’re having trouble with this.

Don’t Interrupt

Do not disturb the speaker if you possess the characteristics of a good listener. You know more about certain subjects often and are more willing to express your views than listening to the other person. But you must hear and make sure that you do not interrupt. A good listener gives the speaker time. Instead, by letting them accomplish their argument, you wait patiently until the end to express your thoughts or feedback.

Give Respect to Other’s Opinion

Another great trait of a good listener is open-mindedness. Know, a dialogue is a talk. It’s an exchange of principles. During a conversation, you must be prepared to learn something new and alter your viewpoint. Many individuals lack the qualities of a good listener and fail to listen to other opinions. Knowing and instilling a good listener’s qualities will allow you to see the world through the other person’s lens. Note, one of the main characteristics of a good listener is to be open to different viewpoints.

Stay Focused on the Learning Process

We are often occupied by side conversations or tempted by any other small tasks, like answering a text message or an email, etc. In this age, our mobile phones are one of the biggest reasons for distraction. You may think that multitasking can be achieved by doing something else while listening to someone as well. Yet you can’t listen to someone and, at the same time, do something else. It’s not one of the qualities of a good listener to be distracted by another task. Good listeners make sure that they don’t have external or internal distractions between conversations.

Stop Always Being an Advisor

Good listeners do not stray from supporting or providing their feedback to those in distress, they should not feel that their purpose is to fixing everybody, either somebody needs it or not. The easiest way to work through a dilemma is often to chat through it, which may mean no listener’s answer. Good listeners know when to offer their help and don’t try to add their thoughts to take away the speaker’s attention. You will be present. You are not concentrating on a particular outcome or anticipating something out of the conversation, which helps you focus on the actual moment and precisely what the speaker is saying.

Effective listening allows the listener to pay considerable attention to what others say. In any case, this ability to concentrate is a fantastic tool, whether you’re collaborating with someone or trying to achieve something yourself. When somebody, without any distractions, focuses on what you are saying, supports you, and interacts with what you have communicated. You may feel appreciated and supported. When you’re a good listener, by demonstrating that you’re trustworthy, reliable, and compassionate, you thought sharing with others becomes more comfortable.