Ways to develop Listening Skills in Business Communication. follow these 9 steps to be a good listener.

3. • Listening is the ability to focus completely
on a speaker, understand their message,
comprehend the information and respond
thoughtfully.
• Def: ‘Listening is a process of receiving,
interpreting and reacting to the messages
received from the communication sender.’
-M.V. Rodrigues
What is Listening ???
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune

4. Listening Vs Hearing
• Hearing implies just perceiving the sounds
while listening means listening with
understanding whatever you are listening.
Both the body as well as mind is involved in
listening process.
• Listening is an active process while hearing is
a passive activity.
• Hearing is an effortless activity while listening
is an act requiring conscious efforts,
concentration and interest. Listening involves
both physical and psychological efforts.
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune

5. STEPS IN
LISTENING
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune
1 2 3 4 5

6. Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune
Developing
Listening Skills
Ways to become a better Listener

7. 1. Face the speaker and maintain eye
contact.
• In most Western cultures, eye contact is
considered a basic ingredient of effective
communication. When in conversation
have the courtesy of turning to face
speaker. Put aside papers, books, the
phone and other distractions.
• Maintaining eye contact communicates
interest, focus and understanding with the
other person. Make sure to tailor your eye
contact as per the need of others.
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune

8. 2. Be attentive but also relaxed.
• Making eye contact does not mean to stare
at the other person. You can look away
now and then. The important thing is to be
attentive. Mentally screen out distractions,
like background activity and noise.
• In addition, try not to focus on the
speaker's accent or speech mannerisms to
the point where they become distractions.
Finally, don't be distracted by your own
thoughts, feelings, or biases.
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune

9. 3. Keep an open mind
• Listen without judging the other person or
mentally criticizing the ideas and views
shared. As soon as you indulge in
judgmental approach, you've compromised
your effectiveness as a listener.
• Listen without jumping to conclusions. You
don't know what thoughts and feelings the
speaker wants to share and the only way
you'll find out is by listening.
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune

10. 4. Try to picture what the speaker is
saying.
• Allow your mind to create a mental model
of the information being communicated.
Whether a literal picture, or an
arrangement of abstract concepts, your
brain will do the necessary work if you stay
focused.
• When it's your turn to listen, don’t spend
the time planning what to say next. You
can't rehearse and listen at the same time.
Think only about what the other person is
saying.
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune

11. 5. Do not interrupt
• Interrupting a speaker may send a negative
messages across. We all think and speak at
different rates. Even if the speaker is not at
your pace, be patient. Even if you are
absolutely bursting with a brilliant solution,
at least get the speaker's permission.
• When you don't understand something, of
course you should ask the speaker to explain
it to you. But rather than interrupt, wait until
the speaker pauses.
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune

12. 6. Ask questions only to ensure understanding.
• Ask specific probing questions that
guide the speaker to provide more
details about the information they’ve
shared or narrow down a broad subject
or topic.
• Your questions should not be intended
towards exhibiting that you know more
than the speaker.
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune

13. 7. Display empathy
• Empathy is the heart and soul of good
listening. To experience empathy, you have to
put yourself in the other person's place and
allow yourself to feel what it is like to be her at
that moment.
• Make sure the speaker understands you’re
able to recognize their emotions and share
their feelings. By showing compassion, rather
than just feeling it, you’re able to connect with
the speaker and begin establishing a sense of
mutual trust.
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune

14. 8. Give the speaker regular feedback
• Offering the speaker a few simple nods
shows you understand what they’re saying.
Like a nod, a small smile encourages a
speaker to continue. A smile can take the
place of a short verbal affirmation.
• When listening, show your understanding
through appropriate facial expressions and
an occasional well-timed "hmmm" or "uh
huh." The idea is to give the speaker some
proof that you are listening, and that you
are following chain of thoughts.
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune

15. 9. Pay attention to Nonverbal cues
• Gestures, facial expressions, and eye-
movements can all be important. We
don’t just listen with our ears but also
with our eyes – watch and pick up the
additional information being transmitted
via non-verbal communication.
•
• We gather a great deal of information
about each other without saying a word.
Even over the telephone, you can learn
almost as much about a person from the
tone and cadence of the voice than from
anything said.
Business Communication, S.Y.B.Com, S.P.P.U.
Ms. Anisa Khan, Asst. Prof. Dept of Commerce, Abeda Inamdar Senior College, Pune

16. Thank You