It’s no surprise that people utilize listening a lot during their work day. A survey has shown how much time the average working person spends communicating on a daily basis. The types of communication were broken down into four categories - writing, reading, talking, and listening. (To test your email writing skills, take a fun quiz: http://www.keepcustomers … ilQuiz.htm .)

What percent of the time do you think people spend on each of these? The total percentage should equal 100.

Writing _________________
Reading _______________
Talking _________________
Listening ________________

Here’s the answer.

Writing: 9%
Reading: 16%
Talking: 35%
Listening: 40%

That’s right. You use listening more than you use any other form of communication. In fact, you spend more time listening than you do reading and writing combined! (How good are your listening skills? Take a fun quiz and find out: http://www.keepcustomers … review.htm)

I’ve been conducting seminars on listening skills for years - from Siberia to San Francisco. During these seminars, I ask the question, “How many of you have had a class on listening?” Everywhere around the world, about ten percent of the participants raise their hands. After more discussion, we usually discover that the participants had a section on listening in an interpersonal skills class in college or one professional development course at work.

Likewise, chances are good you’ve never had a class to teach you how to listen. From the time you were in kindergarten you were taught to read, write, and speak – but not how to listen. So, if you aren’t a good listener, don’t feel bad or criticize yourself. Anyone can LEARN to listen more effectively. And, you’ve just taken the first step by recognizing how much time you spend listening.

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