LISTENING SKILLS

Meaning and Use of Listening

Listening is an imporatant aid to communication. It may be defined as the act of hearing attentively
We usually listen:
To obtain information To solve problems To share experiences To persuade or dissuade

Remember that hearing and listening are not the same. Hearing is the reception of sound; Listening is the attachment of meaning.
Hearing is, however, a necessary prerequisite for listening and an important component of the listening process.

Meaning
Hearing With The Senses Listening Is With The Mind Listening Is Conscious Ideas, Attitudes And Emotions Oral Exchange

Stages of the Listening Process

Hearing Focusing on the message Comprehending and interpreting Analyzing and Evaluating Responding Remembering

Advantages of Listening Skills

Promotes awareness about the organization
Helps to make better policies

Pacifies the complaining employees

It is important for the success of the open door policy Helps to spot sensitive areas

Bad Listening Habits

Tunes out dry subjects Tunes out if delivery is poor Enters into argument

Listening for only the facts

Takes extensive notes Fakes attention

Easily distracted
Resists difficult material Reacts to emotional words

Fallacies about Listening

Listening is not my problem! Listening and hearing are the same Good readers are good listeners Smarter people are better listeners Listening improves with age Learning not to listen Thinking about what we are going to say rather than listening to a speaker Not paying attention ( preoccupation, prejudice, self-centeredness, sterotype) Listening skills are difficult to learn

How to Become a Good Listener

Concentrate on speakers words, not his looks Keep recalling the points Relate the speakers words to your experience Dont get distracted Have a positive attitude Listen for between-the-line messages Take notes Ask questions

TYPES OF LISTENING
Informative Listening
Vocabulary Concentration Memory

Relationship Listening
Attentive Supportive Empathizing

Appreciative Listening
Presentation Perception Previous experience

Types of Listening (Cont.)

Critical Listening

Ethos Logos Pathos

Discriminative Listening
Hearing Ability

Awareness of Sound Structure Integration of non-verbal cues

Barriers to Listening
Yielding to distractions Blocking out communication Piecemeal or selective fact listening Over criticizing the speaker Faking attention Avoiding difficult listening situation

How to Be an Effective Listener

What You Do Know about Listening ?

Establish eye contact with the speaker Take notes effectively Be a physically involved listener Avoid negative mannerisms Exercise your listening muscles Follow the Golden Rule

How to Be an Effective Listener

What do you think about Listening ?
Prepare to listen Adjust to the situation Focus on ideas or key points Capitalize on the speed differential Organize material for learning

How to Be an Effective Listener (cont.)

What You Feel about Listening ?

Want to listen Delay judgment Admit your biases Dont tune out dry subjects Accept responsibility for understanding Encourage others to talk

Improving Listening Comprehension

Listening comprehension is the act of understanding an oral message It involves speech decoding, comprehending, and oral discourse analysis

Comprehending
Comprehending a verbal message involves the ability to: Identify the central theme, main ideas and supporting details; Concentrate and understand long speeches Deduce incomplete information Deduce unfamiliar vocabulary

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