Listening Barriers

Unfortunately, there are some barriers to effective listening. These barriers of listening skills can be grouped into two major categories: external and internal. These psychological barriers to listening (internal) and physical barriers to listening (external) often reduce communication effectiveness.

External Listening Barriers

External, or physical, listening barriers are easier to manage than internal barriers. They include a variety of environmental distractions that contribute to poor listening, but that can usually be avoided or minimized with simple corrections, like removing yourself from the interfering barrier or removing the issue from the area that you are in. External barriers include:

• Noise: Any external noise can be a barrier of listening, like the sound of equipment running, phones ringing, or other people having conversations. To overcome noise barriers, create a quiet environment – silence phones and schedule conference rooms or find quiet places away from others.
• Visual Distractions: Visual distractions can be as simple as the scene outside a window or the goings-on just beyond the glass walls of a nearby office. Make sure to remove visual distractions by decluttering your space and adjusting your seating so you’re positioned away from windows and hallways to give your full attention to the speaker.
• Physical Setting: An uncomfortable temperature, poor or nonexistent seating, bad odors, or distance between the listener and speaker can be an issue. Physical barriers to listening can be hard to overcome, especially if you don’t have control over things like uncomfortable temperature, odors, etc. Scheduling conference rooms that are designed to host meetings helps remove physical barriers.
• Objects: Items like pocket change, pens, and jewelry are often fidgeted with while listening. Specific fidget tools like stress balls or other small items can help channel your energy but are best if used discretely.
• The Person Speaking: The person listening may become distracted by the other person’s personal appearance, mannerisms, voice, or gestures. While you don’t have control over that, set a goal for the conversation so you have something specific you’re listening for. If you notice your mind becoming distracted, shift your focus back to the present moment and tune in for your specific listening points.

Internal Listening Barriers

Internal, or psychological, barriers to listening are more difficult to manage, as they reside inside the mind of the listener. Removing these internal barriers requires a high level of self-awareness and discipline on the part of the listener, like catching oneself before the mind starts to wander and bringing full attention back to the speaker. Internal barriers include:

• Anxiety: Anxiety can stem from competing personal worries and concerns.
• Self-Centeredness: This causes the listener to focus on his or her own thoughts rather than the speaker’s words.
• Mental Laziness: Laziness creates an unwillingness to listen to complex or detailed information.
• Boredom: Boredom stems from a lack of interest in the speaker’s subject matter.
• Sense of Superiority: A sense of superiority leads the listener to believe they have nothing to learn from the speaker.
• Cognitive Dissonance: The listener hears only what he or she expects or molds the speaker’s message to conform to their own beliefs.
• Impatience: A listener can become impatient with a speaker who talks slowly or draws out the message.

Working through these barriers  of listening is crucial to have better listening skills. If a listener can remove these barriers, they will find that they can gain a better understanding of the tasks at hand, communicate more effectively, and achieve greater success in the workplace. Some helpful tips include practicing mindfulness, practicing empathy, and being aware of your own biases. Jot down unbiased notes during the conversation to give yourself something to do while listening and to revisit after the conversation concludes.

More Learning

To learn more about the importance of listening skills and how to improve them, check out How Listening Skills Can Improve Workplace Performance. You will leave the session being able to determine listening effectiveness in three dimensions, and you will explore the visible and invisible aspects of listening, learn what it takes both physically and mentally to listen, understand common barriers to effective listening, and create a plan to put new skills into immediate action.