"What did you say?" "Could you repeat that; I wasn't listening?" "Sorry for the interruption; could you run that by me again?" Most people have probably found themselves repeating these words all too frequently. Effective listening is an under-emphasized and under-utilized business skill. The bad news is most of us have deficient listening skills. The good news is that listening effectively is a skill, and therefore can be taught and learned. (Boyle, 1999).

             "A wise man once explained "we never learn anything with our mouth open. We can only learn by reading, by listening, by observing and by doing." (Rega, 2000) Most adults have not had training in listening since elementary school. Along the way some bad habits get picked up. The first step is to review some common mistakes that prevent you from effectively using what you hear. Many studies have been conducted on listening, according to Michael Rega, in his article Listening Ability (2000), and it is a well-accepted fact that people absorb only about one-tenth to one fourth of what they hear. To many people, that may come as a shock. People tend to assume that when they speak with others, they remember and comprehend what you say. Just as the prospect may have difficulty comprehending what you say, you also will need to concentrate on the skill of listening to achieve your objectives. If we are able to accurately discriminate between ineffective and effective listening, then we are on the way to becoming effective listeners. .

             Here are some common listening mistakes and blocks to listening: .

             1. It does not take extra effort. One of the reasons for poor listener skills is your natural feeling that it should be effortless. Hearing does not take effort. Listening, however, takes a great deal of concentration and effort. .

             2. Tuning out the person speaking. This includes the preoccupation of thinking of a response to what the person is saying.