Communication is the primary function of business. It affects all aspects of business processes. The most important element in communication that\u2019s often overlooked is checking for understanding.<\/p>\n
In a typical conversation you listen to what the other person says, analyze what they\u2019re saying, and then form a response.<\/p>\n
But because our brains can process words faster than we can speak them, we often analyze what the person is saying while they\u2019re saying it, so we have our response ready before they\u2019re finished speaking.<\/p>\n
Not only are we not listening fully, we are missing the step of checking for understanding: it\u2019s called comprehension.<\/p>\n
Here are three ways to test comprehension while speaking to someone:<\/p>\n
Watching non-verbal cues<\/b><\/p>\n
The speaker can be watching for clues as to whether the receiver understands. Maybe the receiver isn\u2019t nodding or keeping eye contact, or they\u2019re checking their phone.<\/p>\n
Paraphrasing<\/b><\/p>\n
The receiver\u2019s response should start by paraphrasing what the speaker has said before offering analysis. Even if the receiver has understood what the speaker said, the speaker may realize they didn\u2019t communicate their idea effectively.<\/p>\n
Direct questions<\/b><\/p>\n
Instead of asking a vague question, such as \u201cdo you have any questions?\u201d the speaker should ask direct questions that deal with the specific information they have given. If the receiver is able to make a direct reply, that shows that they have understood.<\/p>\n
This process of gauging comprehension may seem exhaustive at first, but the little time and effort it takes can make a very big difference.<\/p>\n
These are practices that we, as students, should incorporate into our habits now, not only to help us succeed with group projects, but to prepare us for the workforce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Communication is the primary function of business. It affects all aspects of business processes. The most important element in communication that\u2019s often overlooked is checking for understanding. In a typical conversation you listen to what the other person says, analyze what they\u2019re saying, and then form a response. But because our brains can process words […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,117],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-columns","category-november-13-2013"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t