Listening Skill

Language Proficiency and Skill DevelopmentCourse

It is possible to listen without hearing.

It is possible to hear without listening.

Listening requires effort

Faulty listening styles

Reasons for poor listening

Listening skills and listening strategies

LISTENING WITH...

“EXPERIENCE”

“WHAT WE KNOW”

BIASES

STEREOTYPES

PERCEPTIONS

EMOTIONS

Effort – its hard to stay focused

Message overload – too much at once

Rapid thought – 600 wpm vs. 140 wpm

Psychological noise – personal concerns

Physical noise – distractions (fatigue)

Hearing problems – frustration

Faulty Assumptions - “heard it all before”

Talking has more advantages = > who interrupts more?

Cultural Differences

Media influences – MTV, radio, TV.

What do good listeners look like?

◦Verbally

◦Nonverbally

Listening is not a natural process.

Listening requires effort (active not passive)

All listeners do not receive the same message.

◦We hear uniquely different messages

◦Physiological factors, social roles, cultural background, personalinterests, and needs.

Attending – paying attention. Mindfulness.

Understanding/Interpreting

◦Assigning meaning to messages

◦PRINCIPLE: The greater the similarity between individuals, thegreater the likelihood for more accurate understanding.

◦PRINCIPLE: People understand best if they can relate whatthey are hearing to something they already know.

◦PRINCIPLE: You understand best that which you alsoexperience.

Responding: Giving observable feedback to speaker

◦Clarifying a message

◦Care about what the speaker says

◦Confirming understanding of a message

◦Nonverbal responses

◦Feedback – verbal responses

Remembering

LISTENING

LISTEN TO RESPOND

LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND

LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND

1. RESTATE/REPEAT

2. PARAPHRASE

3. REFLECT FEELING

4. PARAPHRASE CONTENT AND

REFLECT FEELING

5. SAY NOTHING

LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND

Before I can walk inanother person’s shoes,

I must remove my own.

Unknown

CONTENT ORIENTED: Focus on issues andarguments

PEOPLE ORIENTED: Focus on feelings and emotions

ACTION ORIENTED: Impatient and often finishspeakers’ thoughts – tend to second guess

TIME ORIENTED: Prefer bulleted talking points quicklyand briefly.

Ten Rules for Good Listening

Rule ListeningReasoning Behind the Rule

1. Stop talkingYou cannot listen if you are talking.

2. Put the person at easeHelp a person feel free to talk; create a

permissive environment.

3. Show the person you Look and act interested; listen to

want to listenunderstand, not to oppose.

4.Remove distractionsDon’t doodle, tap, or shuffle papers; shut the door if necessaryto achieve quiet.

Ten Rules for Good Listening

Rule ListeningReasoning Behind the Rule

5. EmpathizeTry to see the other person’spoint of view.

6. Be patientAllow plenty of time; do notinterrupt; don’t start for the

door or walk away.

7. Hold your temperAn angry person takes the wrongmeaning from words.

Ten Rules for Good Listening

Rule ListeningReasoning Behind the Rule

8.Go easy on argument Don’t put people on the defensive

and criticismand cause them to “clam up” or become angry; do not argue even if you win, you

lose.

9. Ask questionsThis encourages a person and shows that you are listening; it helps to develop points further.

10. Stop talkingThis is first and last, because all other guides depend on it; you cannot listen effectively while youare talking.

Informational

Critically

Emphatic

INFORMATIONAL LISTENING

Don’t argue or judge prematurely

Separate the message from thespeaker

Be opportunistic

INFORMATIONAL LISTENING

Look for key ideas

Ask questions

Sincere questions

INFORMATIONAL LISTENING

Counterfeit questions

seek “correct” answers

based on unchecked assumptions

INFORMATIONAL LISTENING

Paraphrase

Take notes

Don’t wait too long before beginning to jotdown ideas

Record only key ideas

Develop a note-taking format

CRITICAL LISTENING

Listen for information beforeevaluating

Evaluate the speaker’s credibility

Is the speaker competent?

Is the speaker impartial?

CRITICAL LISTENING

Examine speaker’s evidence

Examine emotional appeals

Is the evidence recent enough?

Is enough evidence presented?

CRITICAL LISTENING

Examine emotional appeals

Is the evidence from a reliablesource?

Can the evidence be interpreted inmore than one way?

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Advising

Be confident that the advice is correct

Ask yourself whether the personseeking your advice seems willing toaccept it

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Advising

Be certain that the receiver won’tblame you if the advice doesn’t workout

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Judging

The person with the problem should haverequested an evaluation from you

Your judgment is genuinely constructiveand not designed to be a put-down

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Analyzing

Offer your interpretation in a tentative wayrather than as absolute fact

Your analysis ought to have a reasonablechance of being correct

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Analyzing

You ought to be sure that the other personwill be receptive to your analysis

Be sure that your motive for offering ananalysis is truly to help the other person

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Questioning

Don’t ask questions just to satisfy your owncuriosity

Be sure your questions won’t confuse ordistract the person you’re trying to help

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Questioning

Don’t use questions to disguise yoursuggestions or criticisms

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Supporting

Make sure your expression of supportis sincere

Be sure the other person can acceptyour support

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Prompting

involves using silences and brief statementsof encouragement to draw others out, andin so doing, helping them solve their ownproblems

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Paraphrasing

Is the problem complex enough?

Do you have the necessary time andconcern?

Are you genuinely interested in helping theother person?

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Paraphrasing

Can you withhold judgment?

Is your paraphrasing in proportion toother responses?

EMPATHIC LISTENING

When and How to Help

Think about the situation

Think about the other person

Think about yourself