Active Listening
Listening is the process of receiving, interpreting, and reacting toa message received from a speaker
Listening
••You listen with your mind, heart,and imagination
••Hearing and Listening are not thesame. Hearing is a physical act.Listening is a cognitive act.
••We speak @ 125-130 wpm, butlisten and comprehend @ 600 wpm(almost 4 times faster)
Active Listening
••Listening for full meaning withoutmaking premature judgments orinterpretations
••Total concentration
••Summing up and integration
Effective Listening
Effective listening involves
••react to the message
••exhibit either verbal or non-verbalresponses
••participate actively in thecommunication process
Passive Listening
Passive listening is equivalent to hearing. Passive listeners donot
••Cognitive
••Comprehension
••Paraphrasing
••Asking questions
••Exhibit non-verbalresponses
••Need not necessarilycomprehend/paraphrase
••No questions
••No non-verbal signals
Active versus Passive Listening
Active listening
Passive listening
Process of Listening
Hearing/
Sensing
Comprehending
Decoding
Recalling
Responding
••Appreciative: for pleasure, enjoyment
••Empathetic: to provide emotionalsupport
••Comprehensive: to understand themessage
••Critical to evaluate for accepting orrejecting
Types
There are various types of listening:
••generate ideas
••inform
••question and test assumptions as well as evidence
••Inspire
••Improve our communication
Purposes
The purpose of listening is to
Requirements
Empathy
Willingness totakeResponsibility
Intensity
Acceptance
EffectiveActiveListening
••Thinking speed
••Prejudices against the speaker
••Premature evaluation
••Speaker’s delivery style
••External distractions
••Inappropriate/difficulty language
Barriers
The following are barriers to effective listening:
••Make eye contact
••Exhibit affirmative nods and appropriate facial expressions
••Avoid distracting actions or gestures
••Ask questions
••Paraphrase (extract main points)
••Avoid interrupting
Strategies
The following are strategies to effective listening:
••Make smooth transitions between roles of speaker andlistener
••Avoid prejudgment
••Watch for signals
••Make notes
Strategies (…contd)
••Obtaining useful information (to makeaccurate decision)
••Enabling the speaker to get feedback
••Enhancing the effectiveness ofcommunication
••Increasing accuracy
••Understanding others
Benefits/Advantages
Effective listening techniques help in
