Listening and Responding (Speech Presentation Sample)

Name Course Professor Date Speech: Listening and Responding Once, I used to work for a boss who could never listen to his employees. He interrupted people when explaining things and typically screamed at an employee for making a mistake. There were several misunderstandings for the most part because sometimes he meant one thing, but due to the poor communication skills, the staff got different information. Honestly, the company was doing poorly, and the employee retention rate was low. This brings us to the subject of listening and responding and how it can lower or improve a firm's productivity. Listening can be described as an active procedure that entails paying attention to what another person is saying without letting other thoughts interrupt the operation. After active listening, one can give an appropriate response. Active listening is something fundamental in the comprehension of this topic. Listening and responding is not something new to any of us here as we do it every day. However, it is essential for you to recognize the two types of listeners, including active and passive. Passive listeners are comparable to tape recorders since they record words but fail to understand the purpose of the message. Active listeners on the other hand, are required to give a response regarding what the speaker says; thus, their undivided attention is required. For example, when you are engaging with a speaker via nonverbal cues like eye contact or paraphrasing the things that you have heard to confirm comprehension, this is referred to as active listening. Words used in communication should be easy to understand and deliver the correct message (Parker-Pope 4). No two circumstances, things, or acts tend to be precisely similar, and as such, the same term cannot be applied to two situations without presenting a given margin of ambiguity (Burke 23). Good listening and responding skills can improve an organization’s productivity. Communication between co-workers in work settings tends to be crucial to productivity (Condit 16). Business proprietors ought to listen more than they talk. One thing that most people do not acknowledge is that actual communications have to go both ways. On very many levels, active listening tends to be a primary constituent of workplace productivity. Managers who are not able to sincerely listen to their workers have high jeopardy of losing them. For example, as mentioned earlier, my boss had poor listening skills, which led to many employees quitting, and the productivity of the firm was low. What happens is that when employees don't feel like they are listened to, they become resentful of employment and begin looking for other opportunities. The work rate is faster in active listening and proper feedback. When an employer and an employee can listening attentively to each other on the best approaches of accomplishing duties, there is increased speed in the work process. This is because clarity and focus are maintained when working on the task. Proper...