Barriers to Active Listening (https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-active-listening-and-passive-listening.html)

 

Barriers to Active Listening

The barriers to active listening are represented below:

Now, let us discuss them one by one:

Inadequate Language Base	Active listening requires good language base so as to understand the speaker clearly. Even if the listener attempts to participate in the process of communication, if the language base is poor, it will act as a deterrent in actuve listening. For example: Suppose a teacher gives lecture in English, but the student is not fluent in English, so here inadequacy of language will act as a barrier.
Partial Listening	Partial listening is when people are involved in multiple tasks at the same time, which distracts them easily. For example: Suppose two people are talking on call, while one person is saying, the other person is flipping the pages of a file or drinking water, so there is lack of attention. Hence, as multitasking is done by the person, important points of the conversations tend to be missed out.
Lack of interest	Lack of interest in the topic of discussion is one of the major factor which acts as a barrier to the active listening process. For example: If one person is saying something to another person about politics, and the receiver is not at all interested in it, so there are chances that he will not pay his attention to what the speaker is saying.
Pre-judgement	There are instances when a listener pre-judges or forms his/her opinion about the speaker on the basis of his appearance, attire, accent, status, and mannerism. However, these biases differs person by person.
Negativity towards the Speaker	Listener's metal, emotional and psychological perspective towards the speaker, also plays a major role in active listening. This is because, if a person does not like the speaker or disapprove his ideas, then the chances of distortion or misinterpretation of the message is quite high. For example: Suppose the speaker and listener believe in different ideologies, so the listeners usually exhibits animosity, and also continues to disagree with the speaker's views.
Diffidence	Lack of confidence results in diffidence. That is why many listeners tend to understand their potential and decide beforehand that they won't be able to understand what the other person is going to speak. This often affects the process of communication.
Intolerance	Some listeners are intolerant in nature, which may be because he/she is over enthusiastic or impatient. And that is why he/she feels that speaker is slow in communication. Hence, before the speaker could finish speaking, the listener advances questions and also interuppts while he/she is speaking. And so the listener generally assumes everything in advance, which prevents him/her from active listening.
Deep-rooted beliefs	Some people are narrow minded, due to their so-called beliefs, judgement and stereotypes. These beliefs are so strong that it works as a barrier to new ideas and thoughts.

Examples

Given below are some common examples of active listening and passive listening:

Active Listening	Passive Listening
Group Discussion	Watching TV while eating food.
Students asking questions from the teacher on the topic explained.	Listening to someone while operating mobile.
Job Interview	Listening to the speaker during the presentation.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, listening is an attentive process, which requires a person to consciously think to listen properly. The degree of attentiveness has a crucial role to play in the process of listening. The difference between active and passive listening lies in the listener’s attention and involvement in the conversation.