are you TUNED in?

1. Lessons on Listening Sophomore English are you TUNED in?

2. So, what is listening? This sounds sooo easy… even a baby could listen! Right? Listening is… • The process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to verbal/non-verbal messages. • Receiving auditory signals, which includes paying attention, keeping internal interference to a minimum, and noting both nonverbal and verbal signals – it’s difficult to be a good listener!

3. “But Mrs. Gallagher, I can always hearyou, so I’m alwayslisteningto you!” Hearing is… Listening is… • Being able to detect sounds • Natural • Passive • Getting meaning from sounds that are heard • A learned skill • An ACTIVE strategy • Sensing, Interpreting, Examining, and Responding Having good hearing does not make you a good listener!!!

4. The LISTENING PROCESS • Step One: Sensing • Hearing the message - Pick up sound waves through your ears - Impaired hearing may keep a person from sensing the same data as someone else; likewise, someone with sensitive hearing may pick up more than most around them. You can also find this step in the CommunicationModelwhen the sender sends the message to the receiver!

5. The Listening Process • Step Two: Interpreting the Statement • Decoding the message • Ex—if you hear a scream, decide if the person is yelling out of fear, anger, or fun. • Ex—when a friend tells a story, are they looking for comfort, a laugh, etc.? • Imagine how misinterpretation can affect these situations. Find me in the Communication Model when the receiver finds the meaning of verbal & nonverbal symbols in the sender’s message.

6. The Listening Process • Step Three: Examining the Statement • Encoding • Consider how the message relates to you. Find me in the CM when the receiver turns his ideas/feelings into verbal & nonverbal symbols, preparing to give appropriate feedback to the sender.

7. The Listening Process • Step Four: Responding to the Statement Appropriately • Feedback • Your verbal and nonverbal feedback will likely make the sender decide if he or she will continue, change, or stop the message. Find me in the CM when the receiver gives the sender appropriate feedback to the original message.

8. Why do we have to LISTEN? • EVERYONE listens… • 1. for F-U-N (or enjoyment) • Radio, IPod, TV • 2. for F-A-C-T-S (or to obtain info) • Directions to a house, Instructions on a project • 3. for F-I-G-U-R-I-N-Gout stuff (or to think critically) • 4. for F-R-I-E-N-D-S (or to be empathetic)

9. Listening for F-U-N… • Sometimes when we listen to music or watch T.V., we simply hear it (background noise)… • and that’s o.k…. • but if we truly LISTEN, we get so much more out of the experience!

10. Listening for F-A-C-T… Most BASIC purpose of listening: to understand correctly what that person intended to say Oh, MAN…! I must have misunderstood Mrs. Gallagher and written the wrong information in my notebook. That’s why I got all these questions wrong on the test. I need help with my listening skills!!!

11. GET MORE INFORMATION! • Good listeners are usually good questioners. • Ask questions like: • Do you mean…? • What do you think…? • Can you give me an example?

12. Listening for F-I-G-U-R-I-N-G out stuff • What information is important • What information is NOT important • How one idea relates to another idea • What are the reasons for believing or disbelieving what we hear • We have to decide:

13. Listening for F-R-I-E-N-D-S to provide support…Once you have understood a message, you may find that the sender is looking for your concern or support—is needing to be heard. A supportive listener encourages or agrees with another person. • The following comments may give support to a speaker: • Good for you. Keep it up. • I think that’s a great idea. • Excellent job! • Comments like: • That really makes you mad. • That has to be frustrating. • Hooray for you. • This can show that the listener is responding to the speaker’s mood or feelings.

14. Barriers To Listening • External Distractions • Internal Distractions • Your Desire to Talk • Personal Biases • Conflicting Demands

15. BARRIERS to Listening External Noise/Distractions • External Noises: phone ringing, spider crawling on desk, outdoor lawn mower, the tapping of a pencil, students whispering, etc. • Concentrate on the message & use positive energy and focus: • A listener’s energy affects a listener’s focus • The Environment: the setting of a conversation can greatly impact a receiver’s willingness to listen: • Temperature • Light • Noise • Space/Seating • Other people

16. Breaking the Barrier • External Distractions • Lucy Listener can’t possibly listen to the teacher when there is a bee flying around the room, a cell phone goes off, police sirens sound in the distance, and the clock on the wall is ticking loudly. • Work hard to concentrate on the message and ignore the competing sounds and signals

17. Barriers to ListeningInternal Distractions • Worries, Fears, Exciting Plans, etc. • The Speaker: • Focusing on the wrong thing – the speaker’s outfit, a distracting nonverbal (pacing, “um”, lack of eye contact) • A person’s willingness to listen is based on his/her response to the speaker’s personality

18. Breaking the Barrier • Internal Distractions • Lucy Listener’s mind likes to wander to the chemistry test next period, or the boy across the room that she has a crush on, or the fact that her stomach is bothering her=Lucy Listener’s listening is lost • Force yourself to concentrate on what another is saying and try to catch yourself as you start to daydream, worry, or plan for future events—remember, it’s an active process.

19. Barriers to ListeningYour Desire to Talk • Most people prefer to talk rather than to listen • Some like to plan a response instead of listening • Compete for funniest story, biggest problem, best solution • Learn to control your mouth!

20. Breaking the Barrier • Your desire to talk • Lucas Listener would rather talk than listen. So, instead of listening, he is busy planning a response. • One-Up Wanda is always busy explaining how her story is funnier, or her situation is more unfortunate than the person who just talked. • Control your talk and practice silence to deepen your relationships and learn from others.

21. Barriers to ListeningPersonal Biases • The listener’s personal bias towards the speaker can affect his/her ability to effectively listen to the speaker. • People hear what they want to hear • Prejudice - Your pre-judgment on topic • Topics like weight, college, money, grades, religion, politics may make people “tune out” if they don’t want to hear it • “This is boring!” = poor attention

22. Breaking the Barrier Personal Biases • Lucas Listener’s perceptions keep him from hearing certain arguments, paying attention to certain speakers, or completing a conversation with a new person. • Lucas Listener thinks he will hate or be bored by a topic or a speaker, so he tunes out. Active listeners try to find something interesting in the topic or try to relate the topic to their lives in order to make it interesting. Ask questions or share opinions—that helps too (can we say…class discussion?).

23. Barriers to ListeningConflicting Demands • Doing too many things at the same time • Make listing #1 priority • “Listening is really hard. Should I give up on listening??” • NO! You just have to work at it in order to become better!

24. Breaking the Barrier • Conflicting Demands • Lucy Listener missed that her friend was really looking for advice on the phone because she was busy eating dinner , completing her English homework, watching TV, and watching her little brother, all while talking to her friend • You cannot give all of your attention to something if you are busy doing other things—make listening your top priority to improve this skill

25. Breaking the Barrier • Retention • 70% of the average day is spent listening! • We retain only about 20% of what we hear on any given day!

26. Startling Statistics • We Retain: • 10% of what we read • 20% of what we hear • 30% of what we see • 50% of what we see and hear • 70% of what is discussed with others • 80% of what we experience personally • 90-95% of what we teach someone else

27. . You can become a LISTENING LEGACY if you: 1. Stay tuned in • You can actually listen to many more words a minute than a speaker an speak in a minute: can hear and understand 450 wpm; can speak 175 wpm • The extra time you have listening allows you to actively engage in the listening process. Consider: reviewing points already made, predict next points, compare the sender’s ideas to your own, or search for other levels of meaning 2. Read nonverbals • Listen “between the lines” for nonverbal clues, looking for contradictory messages • Modify your behavior based on noverbals 3. Get prepared • Make eye-contact, take notes if appropriate, and use posture, showing the speaker that you are listening 4. Avoid distractions • Work through internal and external distractions—avoid them when possible and make the choose to ignore them when they arise.

28. LISTENING LEGACY continues: 5. Apply ideas to yourself • Try to apply the ideas or feelings to your own life—this will help you maintain attention 6. Check out what is being heard • Paraphrase (rephrase) a person’s message in your own words • This allows you to check your understanding of the message because the receiver can correct you if necessary • Clarify the other person’s position before continuing an argument or conversation 7. Know your effect on the sender • You can affect a sender’s behavior through noverbal and verbal responses. • Eye contact and “uh-huh”s will encourage the speaker to continue, whereas looking away or at the clock will likely have them cut the message short.

29. Strive for this compliment… “Wow! You’re an amazing listener!”