A research study asked employees to indicate which of these poor listening habits they

A research study asked employees to indicate which of these poor listening habits they

found to be the most common. In the results, two items seemed to stand out.

When I’m talking, he finishes sentences for me.

When I come in, he doesn’t put down what he is

doing and turn his attention completely to me.

This finding is especially revealing. Clearly, the listener needs to give undivided attention

to the speaker who does not want to be rushed to complete the message. This fact

relates to the “25-to 75” speaking-thinking differential discussed earlier. The listener’s

mind moves so much more rapidly than the spoken word that the listeners impatience

may show as she attempts to complete the speaker’s sentence. Even though the listener

is paying attention, this impatience to complete the speaker’s communication may

develop a negative listening climate. The same is true when the listener works on

something else while attempting to listen. The speaker may soon get the feeling that the

message being delivered is not very important.

It is particularly important to demonstrate a positive climate when involved in empathetic

listening. As discussed earlier in this chapter, an empathetic listener tries to understand

the speaker’s inner feelings. Most people have a very difficult time expressing their, so

an encouraging, supportive, receptive environment needs to be established. Feelings of

elation, sadness. or fear are more easily and willingly expressed when received in a

congruent manner by a receiver whose behaviour demonstrates “I’m with you,”

Unfortunately, incongrnment listener behaviour is too

often the norm. For instance, an employee enters a manager’s office and says she has a

major problem to discuss