Active listening is a skill that can be acquired and developed with practice. It can be difficult to master, but with time and patience, developing this skill will make communication easier to accomplish. Listening is an active process in which a conscious decision is made to listen to and understand the messages of the speaker. Active listening involves giving the other person time to explore their thoughts and feelings. This not only means focusing fully on the speaker but also actively showing verbal and non-verbal signs of listening. When actively listening to someone speak, it is important to do the following: smile, make eye contact, and maintain good posture. Depending on the conversation, you can also mirror the speaker’s facial expressions to show that you are actively listening. This can help show sympathy and empathy in more emotional situations. Developing good listening skills will help in the spread of fewer misunderstandings at the workplace. A work relationship can suffer from problems of misunderstanding which can affect your work environment. It is important to participate in effective listening to express to co-workers and superiors that their speech is important and respected by you.
When getting out in the workforce, you may notice that different jobs carry a “vibe” in the workplace. This is the overall feeling that you get when you interact with your co-workers and superiors. Some work groups are warm and comforting, others are cold and unsettling. These feelings tell you the kind of climate that you are in. By learning to express yourself in a supportive rather than a defensive way, you open the door to improving the communication climate in all of your relationships. Dr. Jack Gibb examined characteristics of communication climates in order to determine what factors made situations either positive or negative. His research shows that