The ability to understand and give response effectively to verbal communication is known as listening. The effectiveness in listening necessarily depends on the interrelationships between the sender and the receiver of the message, which is found to be a vital skill more particularly for the managers in business organizations while obtaining need-based information to perform their jobs successfully. The quality of relationships with others and job effectiveness largely depend on the listening ability of the individual concerned. Lack of listening ability at all the levels in the organizations lead to work-related problems. To become a good listener, one needs to practice and acquire special skills so that the vital information sent by the speaker is well received by the active listener. A lot of concentration and firm determination is required to become an active listener. Thus listening, among others, is one of the most essential skills one should have. Many people have bad listening habits and hence need to put a lot of effort to break these habits to become effective at work. This reveals that improvement in workplace productivity is possible by developing active listening and better communication at all the levels. This paper explains the process of listening, significance of active listening in business communication, concept of effective listening, and barriers to good listening, and gives vital tips to become a good listener.

It is well known that communication is a two-way process. It is a process that involves at least two parties, viz., the sender and the receiver, or the speaker and the listener.

The purpose of communication is achieved only when the receiver receives the message sent by the sender fully and clearly. It is observed that expressing our wants, feelings, thoughts and opinions through interpersonal communication consists only half part of the process, whereas listening and understanding others constitute the rest of the communication process. There is often an expectation that the receiver not only receives the message, but also understands, interprets, uses and provides the requisite feedback about the message and finally acts on it. It is essential to note that the roles of sender and receiver are not always fixed. This means, the sender may become the receiver and the receiver may become the sender depending on the circumstances. Good communication, therefore, calls for active listening skills. A good speaker must necessarily be a good listener. Nature blessed us with two ears but only one tongue, which is a gentle hint that we should listen more and talk less! To listen actively to another human being may be the greatest gift one can have. For a long time, people assumed that listening was a natural trait, but in fact, not all are good listeners. Listening is a skill that must be cultivated and developed further. Many people take it for granted that they are good listeners forgetting that there is a difference between hearing and listening or even active listening. Hearing is a physical and passive activity, whereas listening is necessarily a mental activity and hence it is active in nature. Thus, listening consists of careful hearing with active application of mind. Hearing involves mere reception of sound signals, but listening requires the use of ears, brain, and eyes to understand non-verbal clues, with additional insights like perception, attitudes, participation, etc. There are, however, some barriers to active listening which cause hindrance to the normal functioning at the workplace affecting the business of the organization adversely. The importance of active listening in the organization needs no emphasis. Based on the experience of various organizations and day-to-day behavior of human beings in the society, suitable tips could be given to become good listener for personal as well as organizational growth. It is observed that business thrives on listening. The complaints of the customers are redressed satisfactorily if they are actively listened and can also contribute to knowledge acquisition regarding the problems faced. The training programs for service providers thus should be focused on behavioral skills, attitudinal changes and various communication skills which include listening.

Soft Skills Journal, Glue People, Practical Implications, Organizational Challenges, Temporary Organizations, Matrix Organizations, Multinational Construction Company, Product Development, Production Process, Project Controller, Organizational Goals, Construction Industry.