CHAPTER

TEACHING LISTENING

A. Types of Spoken Language

Before planning the lessons for listening classroom instruction, it is important to
discuss several types of spoken language. Nunan (1991) suggested a diagram to differenciate
types of oral language as follows :
1. Monologue
In monologue the listener does not require to respond to massage. It is also called and
informational listening. This is where information is communicated to the listener.
Monologue can be planned such as speech, news report, weather forecast or other prewritten
material or unplanned such as description of something, emergency announcement etc.
Monologues are example of one way communication. The speaker usually uses spoken
language for any length of time, as in speeches, lectures, news etc. the stream of the speech
will go on whether or not the listeners comprehend.
2. Dialogue
Dialogue involves two or more speakers and can be subdivided into those which
exchange expressions that promote social relationship (interpersonal) and those which
purpose is to convey propositional or factual information (transactional). Both types of
dialogues can be between or among familiar people or unfamiliar.
Dialogue requires listeners to respond to what is being communicated. The goal of dialogue
is to develop intraction between people. The listener communicates something back to
speaker. For example, greetings between friends, a discussion at a business meeting, and
giving or receiving instructions at work.

So what I’ve come up with are 5 of the most effective habits famous communicators
have used for hundreds of years. Recently some new science studies have backed up their
claims and I feel it makes for a very compelling case to overhaul my own communication
efforts and maybe it’s some inspiration for you too! Let’s dig in:

1. They listen first – then focus on being Active and Constructive

The word conversation generally brings to mind talking—at least for me. However, if
you’ve ever seen two people trying to talk to each other at the same time, you’ll know that
listening is just as important. In fact, listening is half of a successful conversation—you take
turns to talk, and everyone feels heard. This is great communication.You might have heard of
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active listening before. It’s something we often get confused with passive, silent listening.
Active listening, in fact, means taking part in the conversation and working on the rapport
between you and your partner. It’s made up of three parts: paraphrasing, inquiry and
acknowledgement. This overview of Stephen’s chapter on listening breaks down the five
types of listening he explains:

 Ignoring – The “La La La, I can’t hear you” fingers in the ears school of listening
 Pretending – The “Uh huh, Oh really? That’s nice” school of listening
 Selective Hearing – The “But I’m sure I heard you say…” school of listening
 Attentive – The “I know exactly how you feel, when that happened to me…” school
of listening
 Empathic – The “And how does that make you feel*?” school of listening
 Empathic listening is the one we want to aim for to have meaningful conversations
with others. It works in four stages, one after the other:

1. Mimic – Repeat what the other person said

2. Rephrase – Rephrase their comments to show that you’ve understood
3. Reflect – Put their feelings into words for them
4. Rephrase and Reflect – Combine steps 2 and 3

If this seems overwhelming at first, you might like to think about it in a more simple way.
I like the idea of ‘bouncing the ball back.’ This means you listen to your conversation partner,
take in what they’ve said and add to it, passing the turn back to them to elaborate further.

2. They use people’s names more – others will be more likely to help you

In Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends & Influence People, he says this about names:
Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in
any language. In fact, our names actually affect our whole lives, more than most of us realize.
Students with more likable names tend to get higher grades from their teachers, while
students whose names begin with A or B have been shown to have significantly higher grade
point averages than those whose names begin with C or D.

The effects continue after school as well, with people whose names have negative
connotations (like the surnames Short or Little) more likely than others to feel inferior

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throughout their lives. So our names make a big difference to our lives, even thought we’re
usually unaware of it. This probably explains why, as Dale Carnegie points out, our names
are “the sweetest and most important sound” to us. In conversation with others, we can use
this to our advantage by not only using someone’s name initially, but by remembering their
name later.

3. They let others talk about themselves – it’s as rewarding as sex

Whether we want to admit it or not, we love to talk about ourselves. In fact, we love it
so much that it triggers the same sensation of pleasure in our brains as food and money do.
Harvard neuroscientists have even said that it feels so rewarding, we can’t help but share our
thoughts. This makes sense when you realize that talking about our own beliefs and opinions,
rather than those of other people, stimulates the meso-limbic dopamine system, which is
associated with the motivation and reward feelings we get from food, money and sex. Studies
have even shown that participants are willing to give up between 17% and 25% of the
monetary reward offered for talking about others in order to feel the intrinsic rewards of
talking about themselves.

4. They focus on making others feel important – it’ll re-evaluate how they feel about
them

We’ve already talked about how to make your conversation partner feel good by
using their name and letting them talk about themselves and their interests. Making them feel
important is slightly different—it shows that you place value on their thoughts and opinions,
and can encourage them to engage more in the conversation.

Social psychologist Robert Cialdini has a couple of suggestions for how you might do
this, particularly for someone who you’re trying to win over. If they’re already a fan or
friend, this step will probably be much easier!

5. They emphasize similarities – we prefer people who are like us

I wasn’t too surprised to find out that we like other people who we think are similar to
us, but I was surprised how unaware of that fact we seem to be. When people were asked
whether they would prefer a partner who has similar personality characteristics or
complementary ones, the majority of people said they would choose someone with

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complementary traits. The data, however, shows that we are actually more likely to choose a
partner who we think is very similar to us.

A quick summary of the 5 top communication habits

Just to refresh your memory before you go, here are the five tips to help you have
more successful conversations:
1. Active listening
2. Use their name
3. Let them talk about themselves
4. Make them feel important
5. Emphasize similaritie

Giving feedback

 Feedback has also been called constructive criticism.

 Only give feedback if the gain will exceed the pain: only use it for important things.
Praise more than you criticise! Identifying and developing strengths is more effective
than focusing too much on negatives.
 Constructive criticism which shows the person how they can improve. Not "Debbie
was hopeless!", but "Debbie made some very useful contributions but her voice was a
bit quiet. I couldn't hear her very well, so she needs to raise her voice a bit in future."
 It's a good idea to ask permission: "Do you mind if I give you some feedback?". This
gives the person time to prepare.

Giving praise

 Tell people something they have done that you like or what you like about them.
 Give them thanks if they have done something for you. Even a simple thank you can
make a big difference.
 Give encouragement. If someone is not sure that they are able to do something, give
them encouragement if you think they can do it.
 Describe positive behaviour and it's effect in concrete terms "I really appreciate how
you took the time to ...."
 Respond to praise by thanking the person.

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Good conversations

 Should be two way with both parties equally involved and interested. It is a shared
experience. It is a partnership like a dance: you respond to each other's movements
and are both winners.
 Build them around respect: treat other people the way you want to be treated yourself.
The atmosphere should feel comfortable: like plants, conversations need good ground
to take root and flourish.
 Talk about mainly positive things. People who talk about good news tend to cheer
people up whereas people who always talk in negatives tend to depress the people
they are talking to! Obviously there must be a balance, as sometimes we must talk
about unhappy events, but make sure you don't do this too much. You wion't go far
wrong if you use the old adage: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say
anything at all!"

Bad conversations

 We make guesses and assumptions rather than listening properly. Assumption is the
enemy of good communication; we assume that the other person is just like us. Avoid
prejudice and presumption. Similarities between people make communication
possible, but differences make it worthwhile.
 We score points off each other and apply pressure.
 Our opinions and feelings are denied: we feel under attack, ignored, patronised, put
down and threatened.

Progression of conversations with people you don't know

Begin with light topics such as the weather and later move onto more serious topics.

1. Light conversation/small talk

2. Humour
3. Friendly gossip
4. Affection
5. Support
6. Problem solving
7. Discussing deep subjects

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Managing turn-taking when talking to another person

1. First the speaker makes eye contact

2. The speaker then looks away whilst speaking but makes eye contact from time to time
to see whether listener wants their turn to speak
3. If the listener doesn't want to speak they will nod or break eye contact or say
something like " uh huh" or "yes"
4. If the listener wants to to take their turn to speak they will look the speaker in the eye
or lean forward or perhaps raise their finger in the air  Here are answers to the sort of
question you might get on application forms or at interview to test your
communication skills.

8 Tips for Speaking and Listening

While it is impossible to know all of the reasons, there is no doubt that learning to listen
and talk is an extremely important way to broaden knowledge, enhance understanding and
build community. Perhaps this is why the core standards in English-language arts include an
important emphasis on developing speaking and listening, the basic tools for conversation.
The eight tips below can be used regularly to help your kids learn good conversational skills.

1. Model a Good Conversation

Make a point of having one-to-two minute interactions, one-on-one, at least a few times
each week with students who struggle conversationally. Share information about yourself as
you might when meeting a friend or acquaintance, and show interest in the student by asking
questions about his or her interests. Conversation enhancers include responses and prompts
like:

 "Really?"
 "Wow!"
 "That’s interesting."
 "No kidding!"

If these students don't or won't share easily at first, don't give up.

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2. Encourage Physical Cues

Identify procedures for having a conversation that includes appropriate non-verbal

behavior. For example, you might teach a strategy like S.L.A.N.T. (Sit up straight. Listen.
Answer and ask questions. Nod to show interest. Track the speaker.)

3. Challenge Put-Downs or Hurtful Comments

For example, if a student says, "I think what she did was really stupid," challenge with
"How else can you say that without being hurtful?" If the student seems unaware, teach an
alternative like, "I disagree with that." Ask the student to repeat what you said and then move
on to:

 "What happened to make you feel that way?"

 "How would you have handled things differently?"
 "Do you think there is only right answer, or could there be more?"

4. Ask Open-Ended Questions

These are questions without one correct answer, questions that stimulate discussion and
can be a very powerful way to reinforce the idea that there are different views of an issue, or
a set of beliefs that can be equally valid. For example: "So if Columbus came knocking on
your door and told you that sailing to the New World would be an amazing adventure and
there might be lots of riches there, but you might never arrive because the world was flat,
would you go?"

5. Put Thinking Ahead of Knowing

When asked a question, don’t accept "I don't know." Tell students that you don't require
them to "know" but that you do expect them to "think." Teach them how to wonder aloud,
speculate, guess or give the best answer they can. ("I'm not sure about that, but I think .")

6. Have Informal Chats

Before class begins or in the hallway, ask students about their other classes, what they
think about a current event, or how they feel about the outcome of a game. Share your

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thoughts as well. ("I thought it was more that the Jets lost the game than anything the Eagles
did to win. How did you see it?")

7. Make Eye Contact

When a student is speaking in class and you are listening, give him or her your eye
contact. However, gradually scan away from the speaker and direct your gaze and movement
towards other students. This will often get the speaker to redirect his or her talk toward peers,
and it invites peers to get and stay involved with what's being said.

8. Encourage Turn-Taking

Use an object, such as a talking stick, as a signal for turn-taking. Teach your students that
when they have the object, it is their turn to talk or pass while others are expected to listen.

How do you help your students become better speakers and listeners? Please share your
strategies in the comments section below.

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REFERENCES

Doff, A and Becket, C. (1991) Listening 1 , Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press.

Harmer, J. (1991) The Practice of English Language Teaching , London:

Longman.

Lewis, M. and Hill, J. (1990) Practical Techniques for Language Teaching ,

England: Language Teaching Publication.

Mathews, A. Listening skills , in At the Chalkface , ed. Mathews, A. et al, (1991)

Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.

Nunan, D. (1995) Language Teaching Methodology , Hertfordshire: Phoenix ELT

Underwood, M. (1990) Teaching Listening , London: Longman.

Ur, Penny. (2006) A Course in Language Teaching , Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

Wardiman, A, et al. (2008) English in Focus for Grade VII . Jakarta: Pusat
Perbukuan Nasional.

Wardiman, A, et al. 2008. English in Focus for Grade IX . Pusat Perbukuan

Nasional.