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McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Importance and Skill ofListening
“If you think you know it all, thenyou haven’t been listening.”
~ La Rochefoucauld
Chapter
Chapter
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Chapter Objectives
•Ask a friend to be a good listener or soundingboard for you when you have something importantto discuss with him or her.
•Use behaviors that demonstrate that you are agood listener or sounding board.
•Differentiate between positive and negativelistening behaviors.
•Ensure your verbal and nonverbal messages arecongruent.
•Accurately interpret other’s nonverbal messages.
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What is Listening?
•Listening is an essential skillfor success in work and inlife.
•Truly effective listeners arehard to find.
•The act of listeningdemands attention,concentration, and effort.
•Listening is critical foreffective communication.
Listening, a criticalcomponent of thecommunicationprocess, goes beyondmerely
hearing what anotherperson is saying toconstructing meaningfrom all the verbal andnonverbal signals thespeaker is sending.
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Different Types of Listening
•Passive listening occurs whenone is trying to absorb as much ofthe information presented aspossible.
•Attentive Listening occurs whenone is genuinely interested in thespeaker’s point of view.
•Active or empathetic listening isthe most powerful level of listeningand requires the largest amount ofwork on the part of the listener.
“There’s a reasonwhy God gave ustwo ears and onlyone mouth.”
- Mark Twain
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The Importance of Active Listening
Active listening:
•Shows the speaker you are concerned.
•Leads to getting better information.
•Encourages further communication.
•Has the potential to enhance relationships.
•Can calm down someone who is upset.
•Invites others to listen to you.
•Leads to better cooperation and problemsolving.
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Active Listening and Organizations
•Improving individual listening skills leads to:
–Higher levels of employee responsiveness.
–Clearer understanding of organizational issues.
–Increased employee commitment to quality.
•Improving managerial listening skills raisesperformance levels through responsive andcreative problem solving.
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Barriers to Effective Listening
•Lack of interest in the speaker’s subject.
•Daydreaming or becoming preoccupied withsomething else when listening.
•Becoming distracted by noise from telephone,other conversations, and the like.
•Concentrating on the speaker’s mannerisms ordelivery rather than on the message.
•Detouring or thinking of another topicbecause of what the speaker has said.
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Difficulty in Listening Factors
•Physiological limitations
•Inadequate background information
•Selective memory
•Selective expectation
•Fear of being influenced or persuaded
•Bias and being judgmental
•Boredom
•Partial listening and distractions
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Difficulty in Listening Factors (continued)
•Rehearsing
•Selective perception
•Interference from emotions
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Characteristics of Active Listening
•Show interest and be sincere in listening
•Ask questions if you do not understandcompletely
•Avoid distractions
•Use direct eye contact
•Do not interrupt
•Read both the verbal and nonverbal messages
•Be empathetic
•Paraphrase
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Characteristics of Active Listening(continued)
•Evaluate the message after hearing the facts
•Concentrate on the message as well as themessenger
•Give feedback
•Listen with your entire body
•Don’t talk so much!
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Nonverbal Communication
•55% of the social meaning in aconversation is sent throughnonverbal means such as:
–Hand gestures
–Rolling the eyes
–Nodding the head
–Looking away while someone isspeaking
Nonverbalcommunication isconveying meaningor expressingfeelings consciouslyor subconsciouslythrough means otherthan words.
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Nonverbal Communication (continued)
•Nonverbal communication often contradictsverbal communication.
•Some people believe nonverbal messages holdmore true meaning than the verbal message.
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Nonverbal Communication (continued)
•Kinesics involves:
–Body movement
–Gestures
–Posture
•Para-language refers to:
–Tone of voice
–Volume
–Pitch
–Speech rate
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Nonverbal Communication (continued)
•Environment refers to:
–Layout of the space or room
–Lighting
–Color scheme
–Noise
–Decorations
•Chronemics is the study of how human beingsuse and structure time.
•Proxemics is the study of what youcommunicate by the way you use interpersonalspace.
•Haptics refers to the use of touch.
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Common Nonverbal Behavior andInterpretations
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Summary
•Listening is an essential skill for establishingand enhancing personal and professionalrelationships.
•Others are drawn to good listeners.
•Listening involves observing and interpretingnonverbal messages.
•Concentrating on sending and receiving thewhole message (verbal and nonverbal)increases the likelihood for professionalsuccess and personal satisfaction.