LISTENING

SKILLS
BY:SANA SHEIKH(24017)
PRINCE(24019)
NAVDHA(24020)
RYTHAM(24024)
VARUN(24023)
ACTIVE LISTENING
 Active listening requires the listener to fully concentrate, understand , respond and
then remember what is being said.
Signs of Active Listening:
non-verbal signs:
 Smile

 Eye contact
 Posture
 Mirroring
 Distraction
Signs of Active Listening:
verbal signs:
 Positive reinforcement
 Remembering
 Questioning
 Reflection
 Clarification
 Summarization
PROCESS OF LISTENING:
 RECEIVING:
 This stage is represented by the Ear because it is the
primary tool involved with this stage of the listening
Process.
 It is the intentional focus on hearing a Speaker's
message. 
UNDERSTANDING:

 In the Understanding Stage, we attempt to learn the meaning of the message,

which is not always easy.
 Deciding what the message means to you.
REMEMBERING:

 Remembering begins with Listening, if you cant remember something that was
said, you might not have been listening effectively.
 It is an important stage because it means that the individual has not only received
and interpreted a message but has also added it to the Mind’s storage bank.
EVALUATING:

 It is the Stage in which only Active listeners participates, the active listeners sorts
the opinion and determines the presence or absence of bias or Prejudice in a
message.it consists of judging the message in some ways.

 Evaluation of the same message can vary widely from one listener to another.
RESPONDING:

 Responding is your Reaction or feedback to the message.it can be emotional or

intellectual.
 This stage requires that the listener completes the process through verbal or non-
verbal feedback because the speaker has no other way to determine whether the
message has been received or not.
 If response is positive ,It means listening is effective.
 Therapeutic

Sympathetic Total

Types of
listening

Reflective
Partial

Evaluative
1. Active Listening:
• Understanding all things
• Proper interaction
• Proper feedback
2. Selective Listening:
• We remember only
• Selective portion
• Topic is not to our liking
3. Empathetic listening
When we listen empathetically, we go beyond
sympathy to seek a truer understand how others
are feeling.
4. Ignoring Listening
• Not listening at all
• Is pretty insulting to others.
• It can lead to strained relations
Appreciative listening:
Looking for ways to accept and
appreciate the other person through
what they say. Seeking opportunity
to praise.

Comprehension listening:
Listening to understand. Seeking meaning
(but little more).
Reflective listening:
Listening, then reflecting back to the other
person what they have said.
 Relationship listening:
Total listening:
Listening in order to support
Paying very close attention in
and develop a relationship
active listening to what is said
with the other person.
and the deeper meaning found
through how it is said.

Partial listening: Discriminative

Listening most of the time but listening:
also spending some time Listening for something
daydreaming or thinking of a specific but nothing else
response. (eg. a baby crying).
Barriers to effective listening
1.Judgment of the speaker or the topic. Do you find yourself pulled away from the conversation in
front of you and focused on your own perspective about the person speaking to you or your
feelings about the topic?
2.Getting ready to speak or thinking about your counterargument. Listening is more than waiting
for your turn to talk, yet many of us can get distracted by planning what we will say next.
3.Distraction or daydreaming. Is your attention pulled toward people walking by, thinking about
what meeting you have next or email alerts popping up on your screen?
4.Connecting to what the other person is saying and making it about you. Perhaps you hear the
challenge the other person is bringing to you and it reminds you so much of a situation you have
faced that you put all of your attention on what you did to resolve the challenge.
5.Making assumptions or reading the mind of the speaker. Are you guilty of hearing a few words
of the other person’s question and assuming you understand what they are asking without letting
them finish?
6.Giving advice or counsel and believing you know the answer.
Do you find yourself solving everything others bring to you
rather than hearing if they even wanted to you what you would
do in their position?
7.Agreeing just to stop or avoid the conversation. Have you
found yourself weary of the conversation you are in and agreeing
with the other person only to be able to end the conversation?
8.Looking through your ‘lens’ or filter (attitude, belief or
experience) and only hearing the parts you want to. Some of us
fall prey to making whatever the other person brings up about us
without recognizing that we can’t possibly know what the other
person’s experience of this situation is unless we ask them.
9.Getting into a debate or sparring match. Do you love to
debate any issue? You might fall pretty to debating or sparring
for the sake of entertaining yourself versus hearing what the
other person is saying.
10.Comparison and evaluation of what the other person is
saying relative to you. It has been said comparison is the thief of
joy. If you fall victim to this barrier you may be failing to fully
listen and getting distracted with what you did or did not do in
similar situations
Difference Between Hearing and Listening

HEARING LISTENING

• Hearing is the act of perceiving sound and • Listening is the act of hearing a sound and
receiving sound waves or vibrations through your understanding what you hear.
ear.
• Listening Requires concentration so that your
• Hearing is one of the five senses and it just brain processes meaning from words and sentences.
happens all the time – whether you like it or
• Listening leads to learning.
not – unless you have a hearing problem
• Listening uses different senses, like the sense of
• Hearing simply happens.
hearing, seeing, or sense of touch.
• Hearing is a skill where you use your ears only. It
• Listening is a skill that lets the sound you hear go
one of the five senses.
through your brain to process the meaning of it.
• Hearing is an involuntary act where you simply
receive vibrations through your ears
BENEFITS OF
EFFECTIVE
LISTENING
Learning the skill of effective listening
benefits personal growth and
development in the following ways:

• Effective Communication – Clear and

concise transmission of information is
an important component of effective
human interaction. Though the focus is
often placed on presenting clear and
concise written or spoken directions,
the listener also bears a responsibility
to hear and understand messages.
• Fewer Misunderstandings – Regardless
of the clarity of written or spoken
messages, the effective listener can
prevent misunderstandings and salvage
what otherwise might be a
miscommunication by practicing active
listening skills.
• Improved Relationships – Relationships
are damaged by misunderstandings that
can lead to unsatisfactory business
transactions as well as hurt feelings in
personal relationships. Excellent listening
practices tell others that they are
important, special, and what they have to
say is valued. That is very attractive and
contributes to strong relationships.
• Personal Growth – A person
learns and grows by listening and
understanding other viewpoints,
differing ideas, and exploring
conflicting viewpoints. Learning
the skill of active and effective
listening not only adds a tool to
the personal development
portfolio, but equips you to
continue growing with tools for
exploring new ideas.
WAYS TO IMPROVE
LISTENING SKILLS
Here are some of the tips which can help the person to improve his
Listening skill:

1. Face the speaker. Sit up straight or lean forward slightly to show

your attentiveness through body language.

2. Maintain eye contact, to the degree that you all remain

comfortable.

3. Minimize external distractions. Turn off the TV. Put down your
book or magazine, and ask the speaker and other listeners to do the
same.
4. Respond appropriately
to show that you
understand.
5. Focus solely on what the
speaker is saying.

6. Minimize internal
distractions.

7. Keep an open mind.

• 8. Avoid letting the speaker
know how you handled a
similar situation. Unless
they specifically ask for
advice, assume they just
need to talk it out.
• 9. Even if the speaker is
launching a complaint
against you, wait until they
finish to defend yourself.
• 10. Engage yourself. Ask
questions for clarification,
but, once again, wait until
the speaker has finished.
That way, you won’t
interrupt their train of
thought.
Modes of Listening
 • Communication is about talking AND listening.
Listening is key to effective communication. You
can be efficient in talking to someone but without
the ability to listen effectively, your message can be
misunderstood. That begins the communication
death spiral where things break down and you get
Listening frustrated or irritated.
modes
• The best communicators listen with the right frame
of mind to ensure that they maximize their
communication effectiveness. We call this listening
modes.
 Disengaged

• Your body is present, but your mind is not. You

hear the words that the person is saying and
can even repeat them, but you are not really
Examples listening because your mind is on something
else.

of Modes Competitive
of listening • You are listening with the intention of
“topping” what the other person is saying.
Whether its accomplishments, possessions or
relationships, the underlying goal is to prove
that you are better than the other person.
3. Combative
This is an argumentative mode. You listen for flaws or weaknesses in what is
being said and wait for an opening to point them out. You are constantly
formulating your point of view and creating comebacks that attack the speaker or
their message.
4. Passive
You listen carefully and seek to understand. You don’t ask questions or validate
your understanding.
5. Active
You demonstrate your interest in what the speaker thinks, feels or means in their
message. You restate what you hear to reflect the message back to the speaker for
validation. The validation is what makes this the most effective listening mode and
distinguishes it from all the other modes.
Pay attention to your listening mode. Ensure that you are in the
proper frame of mind to achieve results. Is your goal to be right, or
is your goal to maintain and build a relationship? Too often people
enter conversations without examining their listening mode and
how that mode will impact the outcome of the conversation.

Listening well will transform your conversations, your relationships

and your life.
 Strategies for Effective
Listening
• First, listening is an activity:
It is not something we do passively. The skill of active listening needs to
be applied, be there and stay focused on the person talking, without any
distractions.  You need to practice active listening daily to get better at it. 
It requires us to ask questions and give feedback. So here are four basic
goals of good listening to consider when entering a conversation: 

- To understand someone
- To enjoy someone
- To learn something
- To give help or solace
• Paraphrasing is a basic tool we often use to listen well. We
might use phrases like these:
- In other words, did you mean…?
- So how you felt about it was…?
- Did you mean…?
- I think what I am hearing you say is…?
- Correct me if I am wrong…?

Paraphrasing defines common ground, lets the other person

know you understand what it is they are communicating, and it
helps them feel understood and appreciated.  Listening is a
leadership skill that is often overlooked.
Strategies of listening

1. Listen with empathy

This requires us to recognize, accept and
understand that we are doing the best we can and
so are others. Try to put yourself in the other
individual’s shoes and give him or her the benefit
of the doubt. Try to understand where someone
else is coming from and treat him or her with
kindness as you take in the message. Ask what
difficulties the other person is experiencing, and
this will help you hear his or her message.  Pay
attention to their body language, keep an open
mind and be careful not to jump to conclusions.
2. Be open as you listen
Be careful not to judge and put on your critical
parent hat. Do not make your mind up too
quickly as you take in the information. Give
yourself some time to think and reflect. Try
not to come to conclusions too quickly and
develop a definitive position based on what
you are hearing. Allow yourself to consider
different perspectives.  Whenever possible
have the meeting face to face, or with video
conferencing if in person isn't possible, so that
you can better understand their thoughts and
feelings being expressed nonverbally.
3. Listen with awareness
There are two parts to this; compare what is said to your
own knowledge, history, people, and the way the world
operates; and secondly listen and observe for congruence.
Watch for visual cues and try to determine if they match
the information you were hearing.  Effective
communication is a two-way street so make sure that you
let them know that they were heard and understood before
moving to a new topic.
Thank you