What Kind of Listener Are You?

"I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen."

There is a good chance that you may not know what kind of listener you are. After all, until the topic arises, most people do not tend to think about the issue. So now is the time to think about it. There are different types of listeners out there, and learning about some of the different ways that people listen may help you use that information to improve your listening skills.

While some people are good listeners, others are often not so good because something else is going on at the same time, or there is a barrier. Some of the most common barriers to good listening include:

listening without making eye contact with the person speaking;

not paying attention to your body language while listening to someone;

not taking time to minimize external distractions;

responding in a manner that is not expected, out of place, or inappropriate;

interrupting someone who is speaking in order to speak;

multitasking, or being engaged in other activity, as you are listening to someone else;

being unable to offer feedback or a response when asked to do so;

not paying attention to those unspoken things that are a part of body language;

tuning out what you hear because you find it uninteresting;

pretending to pay attention when you are really thinking about something completely different or daydreaming.

There are other barriers to having good listening skills, which can include everything from your own personal biases and prejudices to language differences and having a short attention span. While you may be able to identify your primary barrier to good listening, there may be more than one thing. If you lack good listening skills, you may see yourself in many of the situations listed above, depending on whom you are listening to.

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