Listening Skills

Group 6
Listening?

• Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the

communication process.
• Listening is key to all effective communication. Without the ability to listen
effectively, messages are easily misunderstood. As a result, communication
breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or
irritated.
Importance

• Listening is so important that many top employers provide listening skills

training for their employees. This is not surprising when you consider that good
listening skills can lead to better customer satisfaction, greater productivity with
fewer mistakes, and increased sharing of information that in turn can lead to
more creative and innovative work.
• Many successful leaders and entrepreneurs credit their success to effective
listening skills.
Why do we listen?

• To obtain information
• To solve problems
• Share experiences
• Persuade or dissuade
Listening Vs Hearing

• Hearing is the first stage of listening.

• Hearing occurs when our ears pick up sound waves which are
then transported to our brain.
• This stage is our sense of hearing.
• Listening is a communication process and, to be successful, is
an active process.
• In active listening, meaning and evaluation of a message must
take place before a listener can respond to a speaker.
• Therefore, the listener is actively working while the speaker is
talking.
Effective listening tips
• Step 1: Face the speaker and maintain eye contact.
• Step 2: Be attentive, but relaxed.
• Step 3: Keep an open mind.
• Step 4: Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying
• Step 5: Don't interrupt and don't impose your "solutions."
Effective listening tips

• Step 6: Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions

• Step 7: Ask questions only to ensure understanding.
• Step 8: Try to feel what the speaker is feeling.
• Step 9: Give the speaker regular feedback.
• Step 10: Pay attention to what isn't said—to nonverbal cues.
BODY LANGUAGE FOR LISTENERS

• Look Like You’re Listening

• If you want people to give you their ideas, don’t multitask while they do!
Avoid the temptation to check your text messages, check your watch, or
check out how the other participants are reacting. Instead, focus on those
who are speaking by turning your head and torso to face them directly and
by making eye contact. Leaning forward is another nonverbal way to show
you’re engaged and paying attention. It’s important to listen to people —
it’s just as important to make sure that they know you are listening.
BODY LANGUAGE FOR LISTENERS

• Use Your Head

• To encourage a team member to expand on their comments, nod your head
using clusters of three nods at regular intervals. I’ve found that people will
talk much more than usual when the listener nods in this manner. Head
tilting is another signal that you are interested, curious and involved. The
head tilt is a universal gesture of giving the other person an ear.
BODY LANGUAGE FOR LISTENERS
• Activate Your Smile Power
• A genuine smile not only stimulates your own sense of well-being, it also tells those
around you that you are approachable, cooperative, and trustworthy.
• A genuine smile comes on slowly, crinkles the eyes, lights up the face, and fades
away slowly.
• Most importantly, smiling directly influences how other people respond to you.
When you smile at someone, they almost always smile in return. And, because facial
expressions trigger corresponding feelings, the smile you get back actually changes
that person’s emotional state in a positive way.
BODY LANGUAGE FOR LISTENERS
Lean In
• Leaning is another way your body indicates your emotions. Leaning backward
usually signals feelings of dislike or negativity. It’s a hardwired response from the
limbic brain; we subconsciously try to distance ourselves from anything unpleasant
or dangerous. In a seated conversation, leaning backward can also communicate
dominance or disinterest.
• Positive attitudes toward others tend to be accompanied by leaning forward –
especially when sitting down. When two people like each other, you’ll see them both
lean in. Research also shows that individuals who lean forward tend to increase the
verbal output of the person they’re speaking with
Technology and communication
Video Conferencing

Video conferencing is a technology that allows users in different locations

to hold face-to-face meetings without having to move to a single location
together. This technology is particularly convenient for business users in
different cities or even different countries because it saves time, expense,
and hassle associated with business travel.
Examples of based communication

● Conference call. A telephone call between two or more

individuals where several people participate.
● Computer-assisted conference. ...
● IM (instant messaging). ...
● Texting.(Messenger Apps and Chatbots)
● Blogs and Information Websites
● Business Management Tools (Slack)
● Email as a Standard Form of Business Communication
Tips for effective video conferencing

• Make sure to have a stable internet connection

• Select a good video conferencing software
• Dress properly
• Send an agenda prior to the conference.
• Keep time zones in mind
Tips for effective video conferencing

• Get rid of any distraction

• Be acquainted with video conference features
• Never speak at the same time
• Select an appropriate venue
• Get a uniform illumination environment
Benefits of using video conferencing
for business
1. Enable the Digital Workforce

Video meetings help teams maintain human connections,

irrespective of physical location, which speeds up decision making
and improves ability to collaborate globally.
Benefits of using video conferencing
for business
2. Simplify Management and Usability

Teams need access to the collaboration solutions that let them meet
via audio conferencing, video conferencing, screen sharing and real-
time instant messaging. By deploying a consolidated online meeting
solution with a simple UI that is centrally managed, teams can focus
on their meetings instead of being burdened with troubleshooting
every meeting.
Benefits of using video conferencing
for business
3. Rally Communication and Culture

Bringing remote workers face-to-face with in-office employees

• can boost productivity on both ends

• lower travel costs at the same time.

Video conferencing has the unique ability to bring the human

connection of face-to-face communication to every interaction.
Benefits of using video conferencing
for business
4. Increase Communication Reliability

Video conferencing provides a fast and secure way to communicate

with teams. As video continues to evolve into a business-critical
function, it’s important to prioritize enterprise-class service
reliability and support reliability in our solution.
THANK YOU