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In “Listening: The Keystone Communication Skill” the importance of
listening for today’s managers has been discussed. Listening is probably the most overlooked process in interpersonal communications. Some communication experts contend that listening is the keystone communication skill for today’s managers. Various studies show that managers spend 45 to 63 percent of their time for listening. Estimates suggest that managers typically spend 9 percent of a working day reading, 16 percent writing, 30 percent talking and 45 percent listening. Listening Involves much more than hearing a message. Hearing is merely the physical component of listening.
Studies on listening indicate that most individuals are at best only mediocre listeners. Not only effective managers will spend a lot of time listening, they will also stand to benefit from effective listening. They will be able to gather more detailed information when they need it for decision making or problem solving. They will learn new ideas or concepts they may never thought of by themselves. They will understand people better SO they can react to employees or clients needs-perhaps even increase cooperation to enhance employee or customer relations.
Beside the importance of listening, listening styles, principles of effective listening, and seven alternative types of responses to the communicator have been discussed.
Finally some remarks on the prerogative importance of “Listening” from Holy Quran and Imam Ali (PBUH)has been mentioned.