How to become a good listener (for native speaker)

For listeners it is really a hard job to communicate with the non-native speakers and to understand them.

Here are some tips for native listeners to become good listeners of non-native speakers:-

• Have a proper eye contact:- It is a very essential part for a listener to have a proper eye contact with the speaker, to understand him easily and to avoid misunderstandings and to encourage the speaker.
• Be silent and just listen:- when you are communicating with a non-native speaker, be silent and listen carefully to encourage communication.
• Give the speaker space to express his thoughts:- As non-native speakers need some time to find words to express their thoughts, so be patient and allow them the needed time so that they can explain their thoughts well.
• Encourage the speaker with your body language:- Being silent and nodding your head, to indicate that you are understanding what the speaker is saying will encourage him to continue with confidence.
• Do not interrupt the speaker:- while the speaker is trying to convey his words, do not interrupt him in between. This can even interrupt the conversation and pose a negative impact of you on the speaker and even discourage him.
• Be attentive:- Always be attentive and at least try look like being attentive if you cannot really be. If the speaker finds that you are not attentive he will think that you are not interested in what he is trying to say.
• Give proper feed-back:- To let the speaker know that you are listening keenly and finding interest in the conversation and to encourage him to continue, you should give proper feed-back at certain points in between the conversation.

These are some of the key points for native speakers to become good listeners of non-native speakers.