Interviewing & Investigation

1. Interviewing & Investigation The Listening Process, Listening Skills, and Active Listening

2. The Listening Process

3. Listening • Definition • The physical and psychological process that involves acquiring, assigning meaning and responding to symbolic messages from others.

4. The Listening Process • Acquiring • Attending • Understanding • Responding to messages from others

5. Acquiring • Acquiring - The act of picking up stimulus through the senses. • Hearing Ability • Hearing is the physical process of receiving sound. • Noise and Barriers to Hearing • Loud noises, etc • Mismatched verbal and non verbal cues • Irritating mannerisms • Attitude and emotions of the receiver

6. Misconceptions about Listening

7. Attending • The act of choosing - consciously or subconsciously - to focus your attention on verbal or nonverbal stimuli. • Choosing to Attend • Your own needs, interests, attitudes and knowledge help us make choices.

8. Understanding • Understanding—A complex mental process that involves decoding the symbolic message received from others and then interpreting and assigning a personal meaning to that message. • Decoding • Interpreting

9. Understanding • Decoding—A listener’s assigning meaning to a sender’s words and non-verbal clues. • Listen carefully • Filter message based on own experiences • Knowledge, culture and language skills that affect your ability to decode messages.

10. Understanding • Interpreting—The process in which you personalize the sender’s message to determine its meaning to you. • Receiver determines the actual meaning of the message. • Personal filters

11. Responding • Response—The listener’s internal emotional and intellectual reaction to a message. • We respond • Emotionally • Intellectually • Analyze and evaluate response • Encode choices about what to say or do

12. Reacting to Messages • Reaction • Emotional • Intellectual • Analysis and Evaluation • Logic and reasoning • Feedback/Choice • What is the best way to frame my response?

13. Providing Feedback • Importance of Giving Appropriate Feedback • Responsibility to the speaker to provide some idea about whether the message was received • How listener interpreted the message • Benefits of Appropriate Responses and Feedback • Hallmark of competent communicator • Keeps communication cycle going • Responding and Providing Feedback Appropriately • Good listener • Overreacting

14. Factors that Affectthe Listening Process • Noise • Barriers • Memory

15. Factors that Affectthe Listening Process • Noise - The internal and external distractions that interfere with listening and concentration. • Internal—confusion, stress, excitement, impatience, annoyance • External—too warm/cold, static on phone line, loud talking

16. Factors that Affectthe Listening Process • Barriers—prevent or block communication. • External—speech problems, incompatible language, hearing loss • Internal—bias, prejudice, intolerance fear

17. Factors that Affectthe Listening Process • Memory—The process of retaining or recalling information. • Without memory, there would be no learning. • Selective memory

18. Listening Skills

20. Characteristics of Listening • Passive Listening • Impatient Listening • Active Listening

21. Characteristics of Listening • Passive listening - The listener does not actively participate in interactions. • Lazy listeners • View communication as a one-way process • Easily bored, ask few questions • No rewards for passive listening

22. Not interested Passive Listening • Silence can be useful, but . . . • When there is no verbal response to the person talking, it can be uncomfortable or misinterpreted.

23. Characteristics of Listening • Impatient listening - short bursts of active listening are interrupted by noise and other distractions. • Forgets details • Makes mistakes • Tuned out

24. Types of Impatient Listening

25. Characteristics of Listening • Active Listening - the listener participates fully in the communication process. • Listen attentively • Provide feedback • Strive to understand and remember messages

26. Kinds of Listening • Critical • Deliberative • Empathetic

27. Critical Listening • Critical listening - comprehend ideas and information in order to achieve a specific purpose or goal. • Comprehend and understand sender’s message.

28. Deliberative Listening • Listening to understand, analyze, and evaluate messages so you can accept or reject a point of view, make a decision or take action. • Example: Jury deliberation • Juries use deliberative listening in order to reach decisions on guilt or innocence, as well as sentencing.

29. Observe the speaker’s use of language and nonverbal cues to identify, analyze, and evaluate his or her attitudes or feelings. Then, determine whether these behaviors support or counteract the speaker’s message. Analyze the speaker’s motivation or intent. Reflect on your own responses and reasons for accepting or rejecting the speaker’s message. Form reasoned responses and give appropriate feedback. Delay action if necessary. Reserve judgment if you are unsure of all the facts. When you feel you have enough information, make responsible decisions and take prudent action. TIPS FOR DELIBERATIVE LISTENING • Identify your goal or purpose for listening. • If possible, gather information before the listening experience to provide a basis for evaluation, deliberation, and judgment. • Listen specifically to understand, analyze, and evaluate the message. • Organize your listening to grasp the speaker’s claim or idea, the use of supporting information, the reasons to support the speaker’s claim, and the use of emotional appeals and persuasive strategies.

30. Empathetic Listening • Listening to understand, participate in and enhance a relationship. • Goal is to develop understanding and appreciation of the meanings and feelings expressed by a message sender. • Empathy is not sympathy. Whereas sympathy is "feeling for someone," empathy is "feeling AS someone."

31. Analyze your own responses, feelings, biases, or prejudices toward the speaker, the message, or the situation. Use personal perception checks such as, “Is this what the speaker really is saying, or is this just what I am hearing and telling myself about the speaker’s message?” Try to paraphrase the sender’s message. Ask questions to help the sender clarify his or her meanings and feelings. TIPS FOR EMPATHETIC LISTENING • Listen carefully to the speaker’s words to understand the meaning of the speaker’s message and the feelings he or she is expressing. • Observe the speaker’s nonverbal behaviors to analyze his or her feelings about the listener or the relationship involved and the context of the situation. • Monitor your understanding of the speaker, the message, and the situation.

33. Bad Listening Habits • Criticizing the subject or the speaker • Getting over-stimulated • Listening only for facts • Not taking notes OR outlining everything • Tolerating or creating distraction • Letting emotional words block message • Wasting time difference between speed of speech and speed of thought

34. Why don’t we listen? • We are busy • Distractions • Thinking of other things • Thinking about what we’ll say next • Want to immediately problem-solve • We think faster than we speak

35. Fast Facts • We listen at 125-250 wpm, and think at 1000 -3000 wpm • 75% of the time we are distracted, preoccupied or forgetful • 20% of the time, we remember what we hear • Less than 2% of people have had formal education with listening

36. Average Communication Skills

37. Why Be A Good Listener? Needs of the Client… • To be recognized and remembered • To feel valued • To feel appreciated • To feel respected • To feel understood • To feel comfortable about you

38. Active Listening

39. Overview • What is active listening? • Why do we practice it? • How do we practice it?

40. Active Listening • Active listening is a structured way of listening and responding to others. • Focuses on the speaker. • Facilitates common understanding and relationship building - when relationships are strong, communication flows.

41. Benefits of Active Listening • Allows you to make sure you hear the words and understand the meaning behind the words • Avoid or clarify misunderstandings • Build trust • Get others to talk • Get more information to be better able to persuade, influence, and negotiate • Achieve RAPPORT

42. The Need for Active Listening • Hearing someone merely means that you are aware that he/she has said something • Listening to someone means that you: • Give him/her your open and complete attention • Try to make sense of what he/she is saying • Let him/her know that you are trying to understand

43. Four Active Listening Techniques • Reflective Responses • Requests for Clarification • Encouragement • Empathizing

44. What must happen first? • Know yourself. • Understand your communication style. • Be aware of your non-verbal communication. • Be aware that the meanings and use of facts and language are subjective.

45. Active Listening (4 Steps) • Listen • Question • Reflect-Paraphrase • Agree

46. Step 1: Listen • To Feelings As Well As Words • Words – Emotions -- Implications • Focus on Speaker • Don’t plan, speak, or get distracted • What Is Speaker Talking About? • Topic? Speaker? Listener? Others?

47. Attention • Give the speaker your complete attention, i.e., be quiet and DON’T timeshare! • Let the speaker know that you are listening by nodding your head and/or saying that you are following what he/she is saying (e.g., “Uh-huh”, “I understand”, “I see” ) • Pay attention to body language

48. Attending Posture Nonverbal skill = SOLER • S = squarely face person • O = use open posture • L = lean toward the person • E = use eye contact • R = relax, keep it natural

49. Attitude • Remain neutral (non-judgmental) as you listen • Don’t give advice, criticize, or interrupt -- unless you are asked • Try to see the point from the speaker’s point of view (i.e., empathize)

50. Physical Environment • Ensure privacy • Minimize interruptions • Eliminate barriers