Listening Skills Rutherford County Communication & Conflict Resolution Training Series

1. Listening SkillsRutherford County Communication & Conflict Resolution Training Series

2. Objectives • Upon the completion of training, you will be able to… • Understand the differences between hearing and listening • Identify typical listening barriers • Apply methods for overcoming listening barriers • Understand and apply the HURIER listening skills model

3. Hearing vs. Listening • Hearing is not the same as listening! • Hearing is passive and occurs even while we sleep. • Listening is active and involves hearing, paying attention and understanding.

4. What is Active Listening? • Active listening is a structured form of listening and responding that focuses the attention on the speaker. Active listening motivates and encourages both the speaker and listener.

5. Why Listening Is Important • Listening shows the speaker respect and that you are paying close attention to what they are saying. • Listening encourages open and healthy communication. • Although hearing is a natural process, listening is not. Learning effective listening skills is crucial in order to get the most out of each message.

6. Listening Barriers • Pre-existing negative attitudes • Distracting thoughts or environments • Jumping to conclusions or completing the speaker’s thoughts • Engaging in selective listening and listening only to what you want to hear • Feeling too tired, anxious, or angry to pay attention • Being in a hurry and rushing through the conversation • Overlooking body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions

7. Tips for Overcoming Barriers • Be open to the information that is being communicated regardless of any pre-existing feelings or opinions. • Give the speaker your full attention and don’t become distracted by the environment or your own thoughts. • Demonstrate a genuine desire to pay attention to the other person. Don’t just think about what you are going to say next!

8. Tips for Overcoming Barriers • Listen completely to what the speaker has to say. Wait until the speaker is done talking before you respond. • Pay attention to the emotion, tone and physical cues of the speaker. • Ensure you understand the message clearly by asking questions, providing feedback or restating the message.

9. HURIER Model for Listening • The HURIER model details 6 sequential steps for effective listening and can be used to improve your overall listening and communication skills. • Hearing • Understanding • Remembering • Interpreting • Evaluating • Responding

10. HURIER Model: Hearing • Where listening begins with the physical process of perceiving sound. • Remember, active listening involves taking hearing to the next step!

11. HURIER Model: Understanding • Understanding what is being said. • Ask questions to clarify anything you have trouble understanding.

12. HURIER Model: Remembering • Remembering and storing information for future retrieval.

13. HURIER Model: Interpreting • Interpreting the message, including body language, tone of voice, facial expressions and emotions.

14. HURIER Model: Evaluating • Evaluating and separating facts from fiction. How much of what was said is accurate?

15. Responding • Responding or providing feedback to the speaker.

16. Summary • Listening helps eliminate communication issues and listening must be intentional. • Communicating effectively and efficiently increases healthy conversation and decreases misunderstandings or conflicts in the workplace.