Effective communication skills are valued in society^{(See disclaimer 1)} as a way to share ideas, bring people together and build community. Listening is one vital communication skill that impacts both speakers and listeners, yet many people struggle to listen attentively to others. According to inspirational speaker Simon Sinek, “Listening is not the act of hearing the words spoken; it is the art of understanding the meaning behind those words.”^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Whether or not you’re earning a communications degree, it can be helpful to understand the importance of listening. Reflect on the answer to the question, Why is listening important? while in conversation and in different contexts, including interpersonal, professional and academic contexts. Then, brush up on your listening skills by diving into some active listening techniques that can support effective communication. 

Listening is important for more than just acquiring information from a conversation. It’s also a way to enhance your understanding of the speaker’s intentions. Through active listening, you can pay attention to both verbal and nonverbal communication cues that allow you to read between the lines and get a better sense of the speaker’s position and conversational goals.

Other reasons why listening is critical in communication include the following:^{(See disclaimer 2)}

• Active listening: Speakers can generally tell when someone is listening vs. not paying attention. Listening closely encourages them to continue speaking in order to clarify their points.
• Clarification: Clarification is important for avoiding misunderstandings, which can lead to conflict. While communication is also a conflict resolution tool, it’s ideal to avoid conflict from occurring in the first place.
• Appreciation and civil discourse: Not everyone will agree with everyone else’s position, and that’s perfectly fine. Communication might not always persuade someone to another’s point of view. It can, however, allow listeners to develop a greater appreciation of different perspectives and experiences, which may enrich the listeners’ worldview.

Active listening can also improve your understanding of what the speaker is truly saying. It can support empathy development, which fosters civil discourse. Listening is also a critical leadership skill; it can improve a person’s productivity, inform the decision-making process and help nurture trust between the speaker and the listener.^{(See disclaimer 3)}

Some examples of the importance of active listening in different settings include:

• Interpersonal: It’s hard to build a productive relationship with someone when you aren’t paying close attention to what they’re saying. Being attentive during conversations demonstrates to the other person that you care about their opinions and experiences, and that you value their perspective. For example, listening closely to a friend share a story of a bad day at work demonstrates genuine empathy.
• Professional: Listening in professional settings is crucial for supporting workflow processes. For example, if you’re a nurse, you’ll need to pay close attention to patients when they discuss their symptoms. You’ll also need to pick up on nonverbal communication cues that might indicate another problem, such as potential depression or domestic abuse.
• Academic: In academic settings, active listening is essential. It allows you to absorb and process information better and to identify content areas in need of further instruction. For example, if you’re a student who is an active listener in class, you’ll be better able to develop informed questions to ask the professor, which can enhance your understanding of the material.

Active listening is what makes good communication possible. When someone is an active listener, they make an effort to truly hear what the other person is saying. They put aside all distractions and give their full attention to the speaker. This can look like something as simple as putting your phone aside when listening to a friend.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Other active listening techniques include:

• Use body language and facial expressions that demonstrate you are listening and occasionally interject verbal comments to urge the speaker to continue.
• Provide feedback, such as rephrasing what the speaker said to enhance understanding or asking for clarification.
• Embrace empathy and avoid being judgmental; let the speaker finish before responding.
• Respond with respect when the time comes.

Listening is an important aspect of interpersonal relationships. When someone feels listened to, they feel understood. Their feelings are validated, and they are often able to gain a deeper understanding of who they are.

But how do we listen well? There is a distinct difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is a process that involves simply perceiving sound, but listening requires you to absorb and process it.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Active listening is what makes good communication possible. When someone is an active listener, they make an effort to truly listen what the other person is saying.^{(See disclaimer 2)} It’s important to remember that being a good listener doesn’t mean you agree with everything the speaker is saying. However, through being an active listener, you will gain their perspective.

The importance of active listening is discussed in the Bible. James 1:19 says, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry.”

As Christians, we are taught to listen to others before making judgments or assumptions as well as to remain open-minded and acknowledge that we may not know everything, even if we think we do. This also speaks to humility. That is, a person who embraces the humility of Christ will assume that they still have much to learn from other people.

Furthermore, Proverbs 18:2 says, “Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.” This emphasizes the importance of putting your views aside in order to fully understand the views of others.

There are also many places in the Bible that talk about the importance of listening to God. After all, He is the creator of the universe. John 10:27-28 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them from me.”

The Bible further discusses listening in the context of salvation. Luke 11:28 says, “Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.” In other words, you have to actively listen to the Word of God to achieve salvation.

There is great reward for those who faithfully listen to God. He truly knows what is best for us, and when we submit to Him, He will guide our path.

You can work on becoming a better listener. Start by paying attention to how you listen to others. Do you often find yourself checking out when people are talking to you? Or do you wait for an opening to interject and state your opinion?

The key to becoming an active listener is to practice. No one will ever become a perfect listener, but with practice, you are likely to see improvements in your abilities.

If you’re interested in diving further into the art of communication techniques, consider earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communications degree at Grand Canyon University. You’ll explore key competencies in interpersonal and small group communication, as well as intercultural communication and the elements of argumentation and advocacy.