Many people neglect this most important communication skill.

Do you know that we spend an average of our waking day communicating?

Of this communication time, 9% is spent writing, 16% reading, 30% talking and 45% listening.

Immediately after hearing something, most of us can recall only 50% of what we hear. Within two to eight weeks, we can recall only 25% or less of the original message. Our mental attitudes reduce our ability to retain what we hear.

Some suggestions to being a good listener are mentioned below.

First of all,

stop talking----you can’t listen while you are talking.

Ask questions----when you don’t understand, when you need further clarification, when you want them to like you and when you want to show that you are listening.

Don’t interrupt----give them time to say what they have to say.

Concentrate on what they are saying---- actively focus your attention on their words, their ideas and their feelings as they relate to the subject.

Look at the prospect---- by looking, it gives them confidence that you are, in fact, listening. It helps you to concentrate too.

Leave your emotions behind----try to forget your own worries and problems. Leave them outside of the meeting room. They will prevent you from listening well.

Understand the main points ----concentrate on the main ideas and not the illustrative material.

Don’t argue mentally----when you are trying to understand other people, it is a handicap to argue with them mentally as they are speaking. This only sets up a barrier between yourself and the speaker.

Use the difference in rate----you can listen faster than you can talk. So use this rate difference to your advantage by staying on the right track, anticipating what they are going to say, thinking back over what they have just said and evaluating the development of their argument. You speak at about 150 words per minutes, but you think at 250 to 500.

Learn to listen and you will achieve a great success in your life.

許多人忽視了這一最為重要的溝通技巧。你是否積壓物資我們醒著時有一半的時間是用來溝通的?在這段時間里，9%是通過寫，16%是讀，30%是說而45%是用來聽。

一聽完某件事，大多數人只能記住其中之一的50%，兩至八個星期內，我們只能記得原信息的25%，甚至更少。我們的精神狀態削弱了我們的記憶能力。

以下是關于怎樣做個好聽從的建議：

首先，停止講話——你說話時是無法聽。

問問題——錄你不甚理解，你需要進一步澄清，當你希望他們喜歡你并且想證明你正在聽時。

不要打岔——給他們時間說他們必須說的一切。

集中精神聽他們說——當他們說到主題時，主動把你的注意力放天你們的言語思想和感情上。