Barriers in Listening

Point out barriers in effective listening .

The following list identifies just some possible barriers to effective listening

1. Sources of noise

2. Forming a judgment or evaluation before we understand what is being said, or jumping to conclusions‘

3. Hearing what we want to hear

4. Tuning out a point of view that differs from our own

5. Formulating and rehearsing our response

6. Being inattentive - thinking about something else entirely

7. Having a closed mind- you do not want to hear what the person has to say

8. Feeling anxious or self-conscious

9. Judging the person, either positively or negatively

10. Subjective biases based on ignorance or prejudice

11. Cultural issues, e.g. listening to the differences in pronunciation of different accent, rather than the content of the message

12. Excessive and incessant talking or interrupting