Barriers to Effective Listening
Listening is only one part of the communication process: the first part is the transmission of the communication, followed by receipt of the message. In coaching, messages are primarily transmitted verbally (i.e. the spoken word) and non-verbally (i.e. gestures, tone and intonation). The effectiveness of a communication is measured by how well the receiver understands the meaning as intended by the sender.
The communication process
There are many factors that can inhibit the effectiveness of a communication. Effective communication is dependent upon the skills, feelings, motivation and intentions of both senders and receivers. Other factors that can interfere with the transmission and receipt of a communication thereby impacting on its effectiveness are, for example:
- Physical or environmental factors such as telephone calls or a noisy office
- Clients may feel anxious or hold a set of strong beliefs that result in distortion; they may have inappropriate expectations of the outcomes of coaching or be selective in which information they share
- Cultural and language differences
- Defensiveness if either party feels threatened or anxious
- Talking too much
- Failure to build rapport with clients
Coaches need to learn to feel comfortable with silence because pauses in discussions allow clients space to reflect on their thoughts, feeling and responses.
Click on the lesson title under the “Next” button below to access the following lesson.