The relevance of the research is determined by the priority competence area of training qualified specialists, in particular future social workers, which provides for the development and improvement of not only speech but also auditory skills. The purpose of the study is a theoretical analysis and practical substantiation of the specific features of the development of future social specialists , skills to listen to the interlocutor in the process of communication and speech training in higher

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... ucational institutions. The study consisted of two stages, namely theoretical and empirical, which led to the use of general scientific research methods and special scientific research methods, including psychological methods for assessing listening skills. The paper substantiates the specific features of the development of students , and future social workers , skills of active listening to the interlocutor in the process of communication and speech training in higher educational institutions. A theoretical analysis of the types of listening as a component of communicative competence is carried out. The essence of the concept of "active listening" in the professional activity of a social worker is clarified. It was established that the ability to actively listen should be formed and developed in the learning process to carry out effective professional activities. Examples of exercises from the training "The art of listening" are given; a final assessment of the completeness of listening skills in students and future social workers is carried out. It is determined that before the training, students of the specialisation "social work" had a low level of listening skills but after lexical and practical classes, the majority of students rated their level of auditory skills with the highest scores. The practical value of the paper is conditioned by the results of empirical research, which indicate the need for further implementation of a practical complex for the development of auditory skills of future social workers