Listening Skills

The listening perspective in a communication situation can be seen as a mirror of the speaking perspective. The speaker has a purpose and goals for speaking, the speaker considers the occasion, the situation, and the audience. All of that gets mirrored when we consider the perspective of the listener. We can talk about the listeners purpose and goals, as well as the listening occasion and situation. Where the speaker considers the audience, the listener must consider knowledge of the speaker.
The first communication skill we engage in the moment we are born is listening. It is how we learn and acquire language. Speaking and listening, then, are always interrelated. However, although it is our first communicative behavior, listening is usually our most underdeveloped communication skill.

Listening
The International Listening Association

defines listening as the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages (1996).

Hearing
Hearing, essentially a physiological process, involves three

interconnected stages: reception of sound waves, perception of sound in the brain, and auditory association (Brownell, 2006, 77). The mechanics of hearing, of course, are a prerequisite to all listening purposes.

Difference between Hearing & Listening

Hearing is simply the act of perceiving sound by the ear. If

you are not hearing-impaired, hearing simply happens. Listening, however, is something you consciously choose to do. Listening requires concentration so that your brain processes meaning from words and sentences. Listening leads to learning.
For e.g on your way to the university you listen to your

friends , you hear screeching cars, singing birds or falling rain.

The Process of Listening

The process of listening can be described as a series

of five steps:
Receiving

Understanding
Remembering Evaluation

Responding

Receiving
Listening begins with receiving the messages the speaker

sends. The messages are both verbal and nonverbal: they consider words as well as gestures, variations in volume and rate etc.

In receiving you should try to Focus you attention on the speakers verbal and non

verbal messages. Focus on the speaker and not what he will say next Maintain your role as listener and avoid interrupting the speaker till he or she is finished

Understanding
Understanding is the stage at which you learn what the

speaker means. This understanding must take into consideration both the thoughts that are expressed as well as emotional tone that accompanies these thoughts- the urgency , joy or sorrow expressed in the message.

In understanding try to
Relate the new info the speaker is giving t0 what you already

know See the speakers message from the speakers view, avoid judging the message until it is fully understood as the speaker intended it. Ask questions for clarification Rephrase (paraphrase the speakers ideas in your own words

Remembering
Messages that you receive and understand need to be

retained for at least some period of time. What you remember is actually not what is said but what you think is said.

In remembering try to
Identify the central ideas and major support Summarize the message in a more easily retained form

but be careful not to ignore crucial details Repeat key names and key concepts to yourself.

Evaluating
Evaluating is more in the nature of critical analysis. For e.g in

in listening to proposals advanced in a business meeting, you would at this stage evaluate them.

In evaluating try to
Resist evaluation until you have fully understood the

speakers point of view Assume that the speaker is of goodwill and give the speaker the benefit of doubt asking for clarification on issues that you feel you must object to. Distinguish facts from inefrences Identify any biases, self interests, or prejudices.

Responding
Responding occurs in two phases

(1) responses you make while the speaker is talking

(2) responses you make after the speaker has

stopped talking
These responses are feedback- information that you

send back to the speaker and which tells the speaker how you feel and think about his or her messages.

Listening Effectively

Participatory and Passive Listening Empathic and Objective Listening

Nonjudgmental and Critical Listening

Surface and Depth Listening

Participatory and Passive Listening

The key to effective listening is to participate Passive listening allows the speaker to develop his or her

thoughts and ideas in the presence of another person who accepts but does not evaluate, who supports but does not intrude. By listening you provide a supportive and receptive environment.

Guidelines Dont expect that the speaker will entertain you. Avoid daydreaming Combat sources of noise as much as possible. Because you can process information quicker than a speaker can speak, there is often time

Empathic and Objective Listening

If you are to understand what a person means and what a person feels you need

to listen with empathy.

Although of most communication situations, empathic listening is the preferred

mode of responding , there are times when you need to go beyond it to measure the meanings and feelings against some objective reality.

Guidelines If you are to understand from speakers perspective, you must see the sequence of events as the speaker does. Engage in dialogue not monologue Seek to understand both thoughts and feelings Avoid offensive listening Avoid focusing on yourself Guard against expectancy hearing when you fail to hear what the speaker is really saying and instead hear what you expect.

Non Judgmental and Critical Listening

It is important to listen non judgmentally- with an open mind and

view toward understanding

Listening with a critical mind will help you analyze the

understanding (from being open minded) and evaluate the messages

Guidelines Keep an open mind. Avoid prejudging. Avoid positive and negative evaluation until you have reasonable understanding Avoid filtering out difficult messages, avoid oversimplification, filtering undesirable messages. Recognize your biases they may interfere with your listening Judge content as delivered, not delivery as content. Avoid uncritical listening when you need to make evaluations and judgments

Surface and Depth Meaning

In listening you have to be sensitive to different

levels of meaning. If you only respond to surface level communication (literal meaning) you miss an opportunity to make meaningful contact with the other persons feelings and real needs. Guidelines Focus on both verbal and non verbal messages See the forest, then the trees. Connect the specifics to the speakers general theme rather than merely remembering isolated incidents

Active Listening
Speaker: That creep gave me a C on the paper. I

really worked on that project and I get a lousy C. Listener 1: Thats not too bad; most people got around the same grade. I got a C too. Listener 2: So what? This is your last semester. Who cares about grades anyway? Listener 3: You should be pleased with a C. Peggy and Michael both failed and John and Judy got Ds. Listener 4: You got a C on that paper you were working on for the last three weeks? You sound really hurt and angry

 Listener 4 uses active listening . It is a process of

sending back to the speaker what you as a listener think the speaker meant- both in content and in feeling.

Barriers to Effective Listening

Internal Barriers 1. Hearing what we want to hear 2. Biased Listening

3. The effects of emotions on Listening

4. Physical Barriers 5. Semantic Barriers

6. Lack of Training
7. Lack of Concentration

External Barriers:
Noise Glaring light

Temperature
Pseudo listening Information overload