Importance of Conscious Attention Capacity in Removing the Causes of Active Listening Distractions

Proceedings of The 5th International Conference on Research in Management and Economics

Year: 2021

DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/5th.imeconf.2021.12.46

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Importance of Conscious Attention Capacity in Removing the Causes of Active Listening Distractions

Valentina Malešević, Gordana Jelić and Gordana Vekarić

 

ABSTRACT: 

In today’s dynamic and disruptive business settings, a listening skill, particularly an active listening skill, is a very worthy and critical activity since our conscious attention is exposed to the barriers of distraction to a great extent. Business settings, as well as private situations, require active listening as a precondition for a higher level of understanding and clarity, for a quality exchange of information, which in turn leads to creative and more efficient work and vice versa. This paper is aimed at shedding light on the capacity of conscious attention being the loose end and the prerequisite for the active listening system. The paper analyses and points out the nature of digital and mental distractions in the communication process, which are dominant when the capacity of conscious attention is on a low level. Both types of distractions result in a low level of effective communication, with a negative impact on the application of active listening. The culture of mindfulness is a promising tool for raising the capacity of conscious attention insofar as it reduces the distractions to their minimum and results in more powerful effective communication.

keywords: critical leadership skill; culture of mindfulness; digital distractions; interpersonal communication; mental distractions.