Listening is an important skill that involves a lot more than the actual physical process of hearing. Possessing good listening skills is critical to success in a career, in relationships, and life itself. Without the ability to listen well, an individual is prone to making mistakes, wasting time, and frequently misunderstanding the messages of others. Practice can improve a person’s listening skills.

First, we need to understand that listening is an active, rather than passive, process. Not only must you hear what a speaker says, you must understand it and then judge whether the information make sense. To improve your listening skills, try these techniques:

• Listen with respect to improve your listening skills. Use your tone of voice and choice of words to communicate that you are genuinely trying to understand what the person is saying.

• Provide your full attention on the person speaking; do not be distracted by other sights or sounds. Use eye contact to remain focused. Try to tune out any mannerisms of the speaker that may divert your attention from the content.

• Focus your mind on what is being said to improve your listening skills. Try adjusting your body position if you find yourself losing concentration. Take notes to keep your mind focused.

• Remain open-minded to improve your listening skills; try not to predict what will be said.

• Don’t interrupt and don’t plan what your response will be while the speaker is still talking.

• When working on your listening skills, try to determine the main idea, or most important point, of what the speaker is saying.

• Ask questions. If you are not sure you heard something correcting or you didn’t understand, ask for clarification. If the situation does not allow you to ask questions as the speaker talks, ask questions in your mind regarding the material for follow up.

• Provide feedback, either with verbal responses such as “I understand” or “I hear you saying…” or with non-verbal responses such as a nod, frown or smile.

These tips can help you improve your listening skills, which can improve other areas of your life, as well.