Causes of Poor Listening

 

 

Listening is negatively affected by low concentration, trying too hard, jumping ahead, and/or focusing on style instead of substance.

 

• Low concentration can be the result of various psychological or physical situations such as visual or auditory distractions, physical discomfort, inadequate volume, lack of interest in the subject material, stress, or personal bias.
  
• When listeners give equal weight to everything they hear, it makes it difficult to organize and retain the information they need. When the audience is trying too hard to listen, they often cannot take in the most important information they need.
  
• Jumping ahead can be detrimental to the listening experience; when listening to a speaker's message, the audience overlooks aspects of the conversation or makes judgments before all of the information is presented.
  
• Confirmation bias is the tendency to pick out aspects of a conversation that support one's own preexisting beliefs and values.
  
• A flashy speech can actually be more detrimental to the overall success and comprehension of the message because a speech that focuses on style offers little in the way of substance.
  
• Recognizing obstacles ahead of time can go a long way toward overcoming them.
  

 source:boundless.com