Unit - 5

We have two ears and one tongue in order that we may hear more and speak less - Diagenes

Definition
Listening is a process of receiving, interpreting

and reacting to the messages received from the communication sender. M V Rodriques Listening is a conscious, positive act, requiring will power. It is not simple, passive exposure to sound. K Davis The skill of listening has four components: clarification, paraphrasing, reflecting and summarizing. Cormier

Process of listening
Listening = Hearing + Interpreting + Evaluation +

Responding What you see is as important as what you hear. The ability to listen effectively depends upon the purpose of the listening. Listening is a positive activity. Capacity of ears : 600-800 w p m Capacity of a mouth: 100-175 w p m

Cognitive Process of Listening

Sensing Recognising Integrating

Interpreting Responding Remembering Evaluating

Functional aspects of Listening

Discriminative Listening: involves an attempt to distinguish on sound from all the others. 2. Content Listening: to understand and retain information imparted by a speaker. 3. Critical Listening: to absorb the message and attempts to analyse the evidence or ideas and make critical judgment. 4. Appreciative ( Emphatic) Listening: to understand the speakers feelings, needs, wants, tone and mood so that you can appreciate his or her joint of view regardless of whether you share that perspective or not,
1.

Types of Listening
Marginal Listening
Evaluative Listening Projective Listening

Passive Listening
Fake Listening Active Listening

Barriers to Effective Listening

Lack of rapport between speaker and audience Inadequate physical conditions Non-conducive factors Inappropriate language Lack of perspective

Short Comings

Lack of interest Impatience Avoiding the effort to understand what is difficult Tendency to criticize Psychological ear-muffs Distraction of mind Lack of motivation Wandering mind Planning to present a good argument

Short comings .contd

Jumbled and mumbled words
Self evaluation More thinking than listening

Listening only for words

Taking notes Poor perception Noise False listening Poor health

Remedies to overcome Listening Barriers

Have a definite purpose for listening
Have a prior background of the topic Pay unquestionable attention to what is said

Be effective in taking notes

Keep away the prejudice and personal opinions Be emotionally stable Analyze the discourse into its basic elements Aware of non-verbal communication devices Allow the speaker to complete the speech

Guidelines for Effective Listening

Listeners view of a speaker: (for favorable hearing) Wisdom, personality and degree of his goodwill.
Eye contact Bodily exhibitions Ask questions Do not overtake Put the speaker at ease Avoid premature arguments

Guidelinescontd
Stay objective
Remove distractions Listen between the lines

Listening habits
Listening to total meaning Avoid fake attention No personal bias

Silence
LISTEN : SILENT
To listen effectively you have to be silent; it is not

enough that you close your mouth. You must also stop your mind from chattering. You have to be really silent. Keeping aside all thoughts concentrating on the words, the tone and body language of the speaker.

Benefits of workplace Listening

Listening helps to know the organisation Listening helps in making better policies Listening mollified complaining employees Listening is important for the success of the open-door policy Listening helps to spot sensitive areas before they become explosive Listening forms a bond of respect Listening increases productivity Listening can calm down people Listening increases confidence Listening increases accuracy