The art of listening.
To listen properly is a hard job, and probably one of the toughest skills in the art of communication, Good listening has nothing to do with proper functioning of one's auditory organs, which is assumed to be inevitable.
Good listening, in the sense we are interested in, is not a biological factor but a psychological one. Your auditory organs may be in perfect order, when a actually you cannot use them creatively. Creative listening implies your being efficient in the art of concentration;in other words, you concentrate on what one is saying so as to make sure that you hear all that is said. At the same time you are concentrating to all that is being said, you are also thinking fast, digesting what is being said, allowing your mental faculties and your memory to accept that which you understand and to reject that which you do not understand, sorting out what you do not understand and storing them somewhere in your brain for future discussion, and all at the same time rationalizing what you hear, accepting that which you find rational and rejecting that which you do not find rational.
After you must have listened creatively to what you have been told, then you can respond if the need arises. It is quite proper that you respond, because the process of response enhances the art of communication. But your response ought to be only a necessary response;a response that will improve your understanding. This response should involve your mentioning some of those things you have been told, but which you do not understand;or politely questioning the rationality of some of the speaker's argument. But your response ought to be constructive;must enhance the communication worth. It should not be an unnecessary argument, or an opportunity for you to express dissatisfaction or disaffection. The ability to listen properly aids communication and understanding.
Thanks for your time here.
0.623 SRY