Listening: Recognizing Good Habits - Assignment Example

MEMO Department of Human Resources January 31, Good and Bad Listening Habits Listening is important to effective communication, whether we are in the workplace, at home, or anywhere else; however, not all people are good listeners. I observed people for the past week to determine good and bad listening practices. I want to discuss five good and bad listening habits from real-life examples. I will also suggest the characteristics of a good listener. This memo aims to improve all of our listening skills for better communication outcomes.

Five Bad Listening Habits1. MultitaskingMultitasking is a bad listening habit. My sister was sending a message to her friend on her phone, when our mother, who instructed her to buy some things, asked her if she understood her. My sister is not a good listener because she was trying to do many things at once.2. Not Paying Attention Some people are not even doing anything, but they are not listening to the other person. My classmate was talking to me about our assignment, but I was not listening to her because I wanted to go somewhere. 3. Interrupting People It is bad to interrupt people because it is disrespectful and prevents others from expressing themselves.

A student interrupted his friend, while the latter was talking. This friend looked very irritated and just said to the other student, “Never mind, you’re not listening.”4. Making Assumptions Without Hearing Everything Some people assume what is happening without letting the speaker finish the story. I was listening to my friend talk about another friend when I assumed something that I later found out to be untrue.5. Criticizing the Speaker while Talking Another bad listening practice is criticizing speakers during their speech.

My uncle criticized my aunt while she was speaking, but she was not even done yet. This made my aunt angry.Five Good Listening Habits1. Concentrating on the Speaker This means avoiding multitasking. A friend of mine listens to me well because I can see that I have her attention.2. Taking Note of Nonverbal Communication This means observing and considering nonverbal communication, such as body language. I was listening to my friend tell me she is okay, but she looked sad and lonely.3. Memorizing Important Observations I took note of important observations or questions when listening to my classmates during a group meeting.4. Looking at the Speaker Most of the Time My mother is the best listener because she listens to me and looks at me most of the time.

I can feel her attention to me.5. Showing Empathy My cousin showed empathy when listening to his mother talk about her friend who passed away. He held her hand and hugged her.RecommendationsI realized that I can get distracted by other plans and not practice empathy when needed. From this simple observation, I learned that good listeners focus on speakers, observe and respond to nonverbal communication, memorize important observations, look at speakers in the eye many times, and show empathy.

Good listeners make speakers feel at ease and they listen first before responding. I hope we can also study our listening habits and remove bad listening practices, so we can be better listeners and speakers.