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Communication

Effective communication involves understanding your audience, being clear and concise, practicing active listening, and aligning verbal and non-verbal cues to convey your message confidently.

Levels of Listening 

In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey, S. (2020) described five different levels of listening. 

We have listed the levels for you here: 

  1. Ignoring  

We completely ignore what has been said.  

  1. Pretend Listening  

We use body language and eye contact to show that we are listening, but the reality is you are not.  

  1. Selective Listening  

We listen to the parts that interest us and switch off for the parts that do not. 

  1. Attentive Listening  

We pay attention and really take on board what has been said. 

  1. Empathetically Listening  

We concentrate and listen to understand the intent behind the message.  

Do you relate to any of these? You should be aiming to ensure your listening is at least from level 3 onwards to be a successful communicator. Look at the hints and tips in the next section to find out how to listen more actively and attentively.