By Dr. R. Esi Asante
Are you merely hearing or truly listening? Do you have operational ears? To what extent is your hearing capable? Have you developed the abilities needed to enhance your hearing? These inquiries are thought-provoking, and it can be challenging at times to assume we're actually listening just because we can hear.
Hearing skills are highly prized in the business sector because of the significant advantages they offer both people and companies regarding productivity and interpersonal connections. Engaged listening has been shown to enhance effectiveness and strengthen bonds (Godshall, 2022). Studies further suggest that becoming an effective listener can elevate your leadership capabilities.
World Hearing Day
On March 3, 2025, the global community commemorated World Hearing Day. This occasion aimed at enhancing public understanding regarding the significance of ear and hearing care as essential components of general health and wellness. The event highlighted activities centered around this year’s theme. Transforming perspectives: Take control to ensure ear and hearing care becomes accessible to everyone. People of every age are welcome to participate in empowering themselves for the sake of healthy ears.
Beyond the health aspects highlighted on World Hearing Day, we should explore the social ramifications and examine active listening. This practice holds significant value and advantages for everyone, particularly leaders, who must cultivate and enhance their auditory abilities to better connect with others.
Active Listening:
Is listening identical to hearing? Scholars differentiate between these concepts. Hearing involves the capability and act of detecting sounds, whereas listening requires concentrating on communicated verbal content, grasping its significance, and reacting either vocally or non-vocally. Effective listening encompasses critically analyzing oral communications and necessitates mental engagement along with data processing. Consequently, merely perceiving sounds doesn’t equate to truly listening.
Sadly, numerous individuals believe they excel at listening; however, current data suggests otherwise. As an illustration, studies suggest that general listeners typically remember just 20 to 50 percent of the information conveyed to them (Bodie et al., 2015). Therefore, it becomes crucial for us to put in extra work towards actively processing and interpreting what we listen to so as to engage fully in conversations.
What exactly constitutes active listening? It entails paying complete attention to the person speaking, refraining from interrupting them, and offering feedback (Coursera Staff, 2025). This essential communication skill encompasses not only absorbing the communicated content but also responding through both non-verbal cues and queries. Active listening is viewed as an invaluable asset in professional settings because it fosters robust dialogue and helps establish productive connections with all parties involved. Studies indicate that listening forms the basis of proficient communication skills. Consequently, individuals who practice active listening tend to engage in beneficial, empathetic, and encouraging discussions, which makes recipients perceive themselves as being better comprehended.
Listening styles:
Various types of listening styles have been identified (Pearce et al., 2003). One such style is active listening. This approach requires the listener to pay complete attention as someone else speaks. By using assured body language and maintaining steady eye contact, the listener demonstrates their engagement and focus during the conversation.
The engaged listener, who only partly commits to the exchange, embodies a distinct approach. This individual exhibits minimal involvement. Their body language does not align consistently with signals indicating either engagement or detachment during the discussion. Furthermore, there exists the indifferent listener, characterized by an apparent absence of duty towards paying attention. Lastly, there is the detached listener, who shows little concern for the talk at hand. Such individuals often distance themselves from the discourse and seem disconnected, weary, absorbed elsewhere, and uninterested. Notably, each of us might employ various listening techniques regularly; thus, recognizing your personal preference and possibly shifting toward an attentive mode could prove beneficial.
The Four Ears and the EAR Listening Model:
The four-dimensional model created by Friedemann Schulz von Thun, often referred to as the Four Ears Model, encompasses four crucial aspects of communication between individuals (Schiffer, 2017). These dimensions include factual content, personal disclosure, relational dynamics, and appeals within messages. Communication can be encoded and decoded through multiple methods, leading to potential misunderstandings where recipients might fail to grasp the intended message fully (Burkhardt, 2016; Reden et al., 1981).
When someone listens attentively, they engage through four distinct channels corresponding to various components of a communication. To the left stands the communicator, also known as the transmitter, whereas positioned on the right lies the recipient, referred to here as the receiver. This individual conveys information encompassing four dimensions: personal disclosure, factual details, relational dynamics, and persuasive elements. Should dialogue proceed seamlessly with these facets evenly distributed, responsibilities between speaking and listening switch back and forth fluidly. Each party remains attuned not only to their own expressions but equally so to incoming messages.
The EAR Listening Model, conversely, consists of a three-stage procedure represented by E for "explore," A for "acknowledge," and R for "respond." This model follows an order where the speaker investigates the listener's viewpoint and ensures they recognize your comprehension of their input (Janove, 2017). Mastering theEAR requires consistent effort and self-discipline since errors can occur frequently. We might rush through exploration, thus failing to grasp the full extent of another individual's standpoint. Additionally, some individuals may bypass the acknowledgment phase as they hurry towards providing a response. Rather than validating what has been said, these people tend to jump to conclusions prematurely.
As per Janove (2017), people significantly overrate their capacity for effective listening. This applies universally, encompassing roles such as CEOs, managers, employees, and even HR specialists. The three stages of the EAR listening model serve as guidelines for enhancing attentive communication skills.
Advantages of possessing strong active listening abilities:
Mastering effective listening demands dedication and motivation. To achieve successful communication through active listening, one must commit substantial effort. This skill is strongly advised as an essential tool in the professional world for better interaction. According to Keyser (2013), engaging in active listening can lead to business prosperity.
It’s clear now that automation and AI are reshaping the landscape of employment, yet research indicates certain skill sets remain highly sought after. A prime example is active listening, particularly crucial for leadership roles. Skills related to social interaction and emotion management, like active listening, are currently very popular and expected to increase by over 20 percent across various sectors from 2016 through 2030 (McKinsey & Company, 2018).
Ways to cultivate proficient listening abilities:
Valuing others involves allowing them sufficient time without interruption to express themselves clearly, which is essential for active and productive listening. This space enables individuals to convey their points precisely. It can be concerning when interviewers frequently cut off interviewees, thus denying them the ability to fully develop their ideas during conversations. Therefore, fostering active and effective listening skills becomes particularly significant in such scenarios.
When asking for clarification, it’s best not to cut off the interviewee mid-answer, whether you have follow-up queries that are connected or entirely different. By practicing this approach, it helps to pay close attention to their communication. Stay silent and listen attentively right from the start—shut down your own mental chatter and clear your mind of distractions to concentrate fully on what they’re saying.
Seeking clarifications through questions during ambiguous communications is an integral part of active listening. When needed, these queries should involve both restating and condensing the communicated details for better clarity. Restating involves repeating back what has been said, while summarizing means distilling the essence of the conversation to confirm precision. To enhance this process, appropriate non-verbal signals must accompany such efforts to demonstrate focus, comprehension, and engagement effectively.
Moreover, active listening involves withholding judgments and staying impartial. These concepts were taught to me during my counseling course. Counselors must cultivate strong listening abilities to remain unbiased when interacting with clients and refrain from making assessments, thus fostering an open environment (Coursera Staff, 2025).
Conclusion:
Effective leaders and people must focus on understanding by engaging in conversations. Achieving this involves altering our approach to listening and enhancing our communication abilities. One can hone this capability by consistently practicing active listening both personally and professionally, keeping in mind the four-ears theory and its relevance. Seeking input from others regarding your ongoing efforts to cultivate these traits is crucial. Developing such skills requires considerable patience.
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).
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