Chapter 6

1. Chapter 6 “Toward Effective Listening”

2. Topics of Discussion • Why learn about listening • Effectiveness • Time spent • Areas affected • Misconceptions • Process • Factors affecting listening • Using feedback to analyze listening • Kinds of listening/goals

3. Section 1 “Understanding the Listening Process”

4. Why Learn About Listening?

5. Most used communication skill • Least taught • Least understood • Assumed to develop naturally • Training is generally negative

6. Effectiveness • Immediate = ½ • 8 hours later lose 1/3 to ½ • Retain only 25% of original

7. Time Spent • Writing 9% • Reading 16% • Talking 30% • Listening 45%

8. Areas Affected • School • Relationships • Social groups and organizations • Public dialogue • Workplace • Safety

9. Misconceptions

10. Listening and hearing are the same • Hearing is a physical first step in the listening process, but it doesn’t imply understanding

11. Listening is easy or automatic • It is complex and requires energy, effort, and skill

12. Listening develops naturally • Consists of learned skills and behaviors that can be learned, relearned, improved, and refined

13. Anyone can listen well if they really try • You can exert effort, but you may not be able to listen effectively if you lack the skills or noises can not be overcome

14. The speaker is responsible for the message and success of communication • Speaker and listener share responsibility • Listener may have to compensate for speaker’s lack of skill

15. If that’s what you heard, that’s what was said • Listeners can’t assume they heard correctly and should use perception checks

16. Attitude and listening are unrelated • It’s an important factor in listening and retaining information

17. People remember most of what they hear • Listening and remembering are related, but failure to remember may not be due to faulty listening

18. Process:

19. Acquiring • Pick up stimulus with senses (hearing) • Outer ear acts as antennae and picks up sound waves • Relayed to middle ear and amplified • Passed to inner ear and transforms acoustical energy to electrical impulses • Relayed to brain for processing

20. Acquiring • Differences distinguishing • Different sound • Levels of volume • Higher and lower pitches

21. Acquiring • Noise and barriers • Loud noises • Interfere • Can cause hearing loss

22. Acquiring • Noise and barriers • Repeated doses of some antibiotics • Chronic ear infections • Conflicting auditory and visual data • Distracting physical movements • Harsh or irritating voice • Attitude and emotions

23. Attending • Choice – not automatic • Selective perception • Needs • Interests • Attitude • Knowledge

24. Attending • Improving skills • Evaluate – determine importance • Adjust attitude • Focus energy on message/ turn off other thoughts • Determine what can be gained with focus • Ignore distractions • Maintain concentration

25. Understanding • Decode • Steps • Listen carefully • Filter based on experiences

26. Understanding • Decode • Strategies • Build vocabulary • Use perception checks • Assume responsibility instead of expecting others to adjust

27. Understanding • Interpret • Self-talk/tell yourself what speaker is saying • Goes through filter system • Feelings and needs • Perception check • Ask questions before finalizing

28. Understanding • Strategies • Check filter system • Ask “Is this what they are really saying or just what I’m hearing?” and “Am I overlooking any alternatives?” • Ask for more information before finalizing interpretation • Take responsibility for interpretations and remain open, flexible, will to adapt and adjust

29. Understanding Respond • Emotional – how do you feel about it • Intellectual – what do you think about it • Analyze and evaluate your response to the message • Encode choices to say or do

30. Understanding Skills • Monitor, analyze and evaluate • Consider possible alternatives • Decide what’s appropriate – balance rewards/consequences • Take responsibility • Consider all responses and provide constructive, realistic feedback • Choose clear words

31. Factors Affecting Listening

32. Factors Affecting Listening • Noise • Barriers

33. Factors Affecting Listening • Memory • Not always straightforward – can be selective • Choose what to remember • Remember only as we wish to • Eliminate or suppress certain memories

34. Factors Affecting Listening • Memory • Types • Immediate • Long-term • Short-term

35. Factors Affecting Listening • Memory • Skills • Concentrate as you receive messages • Use calendars, lists or notes • Summarize, rehearse, repeat or write info to seal it into memory • Form mental associations and organize into related clusters • Learn new info in small portions – don’t cram

36. Using Feedback to Analyze Listening

37. Using Feedback to Analyze Listening • Inappropriate feedback • Cannot or did not hear correctly • Listener lacks verbal decoding skills • Interpreted as unrelated, uninteresting, offensive or irrelevant

38. Section 2 “Developing Listening Skills

39. Types of Listening Active Listening • Process is transactional • Active = better grades than passive • = more enjoyment and info, rewards • = make fewer mistakes, have better performance, higher productivity and increased value as employees

40. Types of Listening Passive listening • Try to absorb with no transaction • Easily bored, distracted, give negative nonverbal feedback • Generally no rewards • Place responsibility on speaker • Lazy listening • Produces boredom, apathy, lack of interest

41. Types of Listening Impatient listening • Pay attention in short bursts due to noise interruptions • Make mistakes by forgetting details or instructions • Give V & NV cues at inappropriate times • Masks lack of concentration or interest

42. Types of Listening Impatient listening • Types • Anticipatory/anticipateswhat will be said and plans response • Defensive/goalis to argue or disagree • Combative/goalis to win or put down • Distracted/paysattention to first, assumes what will be said, starts thinking about something else

43. Goals for Listening Critical

44. Goals for Listening Critical • Skills • Identify goal or purpose • Gather info beforehand to build vocabulary • Focus on V and NV messages • Organize info to grasp main idea and supporting details • Use perception checks • Consciously store into memory bank • Ask questions, give feedback, take action

45. Goals for Listening Deliberative

46. Goals for Listening Deliberative • Skills • Identify goal or purpose • Gather info beforehand as basis for judgment • Listen specifically to evaluate • Identify supporting info and use of emotional appeal

47. Goals for Listening Deliberative • Skills • Observe V & NV cues to evaluate attitudes and feelings. Determine if they support or conflict • Analyze motivation or intent • Reflect on your responses • Give feedback – delay action if needed • Reserve judgment if unsure of facts • Make decision when info is sufficient

48. Goals for Listening Empathic

49. Goals for Listening Empathic • Skills • Observe NV to analyze feeling speaker has for listener and context • Monitor understanding of speaker, message and situation • Analyze own responses, biases, prejudices and feeling toward speaker, message or context • Use perception checks • Paraphrase • Ask questions to help speaker clarify meaning

50. Goals for Listening Appreciative