Listening

Listening Effectively
• LISTENING EFFECTIVELY is hearing and
understanding what a speaker is saying and
how it applies to you, and then remembering
it for future use and evaluation.
 Importance of Listening
• People perform better when they know their
opinions and suggestions are listened to.
• Supervisors need to listen to their employees to get
to know their expertise and experience.
• Supervisors who don’t get all the facts often make
poor decisions.
• Preventive maintenance: Prevents problems of
human relations from developing in an
organization. For instance, paying attention to small
grievances stops them from becoming large ones.
 Why People Don’t Listen
• The Earmuff Problem:
• Some supervisors feel that they only have
control of a situation if they are doing all the
talking. They do not like to listen because to
them, listening seems a less noticeable
activity.
 The Five Steps to Better Listening
• The listening process can be broken up into
five distinct stages:
1. Receiving
2. Understanding
3. Remembering
4. Evaluating
5. Responding
 1. Receiving
• The act of actually absorbing the information being expressed to you, whether
verbally or non-verbally.

• Avoid distractions. Try not to divide your attention between the speaker and
something else. E.g. you cell phone.

• Don’t interrupt the speaker. You might want to make an assumption about what the
speaker is saying, or what they’re about to say – don’t. It’s rude, and you may find
your assumption was wrong.

• Don’t rehearse your response. At this stage, your job is only to listen and not plan a
speech. Try to get the purpose of the speaker’s speech.

• Give listening responses. Give signs to show that you are willing to listen (explained
on next slide)
 Receiving (…continued)
• Listening responses should be made quietly and briefly. Five
types of listening responses are:

1. The nod- nodding the head slightly and waiting

2. The pause- looking at the speaker expectantly, but without
doing or saying anything
3. The casual Remark- “I see”; “Uh-huh” ; “That’s interesting”
4. The echo- repeating the last few words the speaker said.
5. The mirror- reflecting back to the speaker your
understanding of what has just been said: “You feel that…”
 2. Understanding
• Understanding takes place after you have received
the information from the speaker, and begin to
process its meaning. This is the point in the listening
process where you’re able to plan your response.

• Ask questions, or rephrase parts of the speaker’s

message. This allows you to demonstrate your
active engagement with their words, and help you
better understand their key points.
 Understanding (…continued)
Phrasing Questions
• Open questions should be asked instead of Closed
questions.

• Open questions: Cannot be answered in a simple yes or no

Example: “Joe, I’ve noticed some changes in your work lately. What
seems to be the problem?”

• Closed questions: Can be answered in a yes or no

Example: :Joe, do you have a problem?”
 3. Remembering
• Remembering is about retaining that information, and the most effective
way to do so in an important conversation is to move the key elements of a
message from your short-term memory, and into your long-term memory.

• There are numerous methods for doing this:

• Identify the fundamental points. By converting a collection of small details

into a central theme, you’re able to create something potentially
complicated into an easy-to-grasp general concept.

• Make the message familiar. Relate that main idea to something you
already know, like your memories and past experiences. Use those to help
you retain incoming information.
 4. Evaluating
• It’s at this stage where you can begin to prepare for your response,
but remember: you’re still a listener, not a speaker. After the
message has been absorbed, processed, and remembered, you can
begin to sort the information into pieces.

• What is fact, and what is opinion?

• Was the speaker demonstrating any particular prejudice with their
message?
• What portions of the message, if any, were exaggerated?
• What parts of their message were interpreted, and which parts
were unbiased?
• What was the speaker’s intent with their message?
 5. Responding
• It’s important to understand the transition between listening and
speaking, and be aware of the fact that responding is still a part of the
active listening process.

• While responding, keep the following points in mind:

• Don’t complete the speaker’s sentences. This is a rude way to start your
response. It slows down the receiving process, and will make the original
speaker want to listen to you less.

• Address the speaker’s points. It will make it easier for the speaker to
transition into a listener when they know exactly what part of their
message you’re addressing.