Good communication skills are essential for any
successful career. Whilst many career
and management development programs focus on t
he importance of presentation skills,
few emphasize the value of truly listening.
Listening is a hugely underrated skill. By improv
ing your listening skills, you can radically
improve your relationships with the people around you. Conflictive relationships can
become productive, difficulties can be smoothed over and otherwise escalating problems
can be “nipped in the bud”. And just think of the wasted time, energy and resources that
you can save if you understand messages fully, the first time you hear them.
That’s why Kellie Fowler at Mind Tools has written these excellent articles. They teach
the theory you need to raise your awareness of the issues and opportunities, and then
give practical tips and techniques that help you listen actively and effectively. All you
need to do is take the time to read the articles and practice the techniques we describe.
We offer four articles:
Hear the Message;
Listen Up: Remove the Barriers; Hear the Words; Listen, Learn, Achieve; and