Active Listening

Communication Skills 4
 Listening Process

• Being Mindful
• Selecting and organising material
• Interpreting communication
• Remembering
• Responding
 Obstacles
External Obstacles

• Message overload

• Message complexity

• Environmental distractions
 Obstacles
Internal Obstacles

• Preoccupations

• Prejudgements

• Lack of effort

• Failure to adjust to diverse communication style

 Forms of “non-listening”

• Pseudolistening
• Monopolozing
• Selective listening
• Defensive listening
• Ambushing
• Literal listening
 Digital Media and Listening

• Online communication requires mindful listening

• Digital media can interfere face to face listening

• Fact checking, or critical listening to material online

 How to be good at informational listening?

• Be mindful
• Control Obstacles
• Ask questions
• Use aids to recall
• Organize information
 How to be good at relational listening?

• Be mindful
• Suspend judgement
• Understand the other person’s perspective
• Extend support
Activity