ESL School

...one of the weakest skills people have is the ability to really listen. Let me give you an example. I had to phone an English clinic where my husband can go as a temporary patient when we are in the UK. He got confused by the information they gave him when he went in person and in sheer exasperation walked out and asked me to call for him. I spoke to the receptionist and said I was calling on behalf of my husband. She butted in at that point and said, “If he wants an appointment he …” I tried to explain that he didn’t want an appointment but had just returned from an unsuccessful attempt to explain that he needed some medicines. She cut in again telling me that if he wanted a repeat prescription…and so it went on, without her ever letting me explain the real issue until I said, rudely, I fear, “If you would stop interrupting and listen for a change, perhaps you would understand why I’m calling.”

Well, I’ve made the point. People don’t know how to listen. They make assumptions, interrupt and generally seem unable to let the other person deliver their message. I think, therefore, that we should teach active listening skills that encourage people to elicit the maximum detail from the other person in the dialogue before attempting to reply. These techniques are sometimes called “active listening” and I believe we neglect them in our teaching. In my next entry I will give examples of listening techniques that really work.