LISTENING SKILLS

WHAT IS LISTENING?
 listening (ILA, 1996): the process of receiving,
constructing meaning from, and responding to
spoken and/or nonverbal messages; to hear
something with thoughtful attention

 Effective communication is 2-way

 depends on speaking and listening

 LISTENING REQUIRES MORE INTELLIGENCE

THAN SPEAKING
 FAST FACTS
 We listen at 125-250 wpm, think at 1000-
3000 wpm
 75% of the time we are distracted,
preoccupied or forgetful
 20% of the time, we remember what we
hear
 More than 35% of businesses think listening
is a top skill for success
 Less than 2% of people have had formal
education with listening
PERCENTAGE OF COMMUNICATION
Mode of Formal Years Percentage of
Communication of Training Time Used
Writing 12 years 9%

Reading 6-8 years 16 %

Speaking 1-2 years 30%

Listening 0-few hours 45%

 WHY BE A GOOD LISTENER?
Needs of the Customer…

 To be recognized and remembered

 To feel valued
 To feel appreciated
 To feel respected
 To feel understood
 To feel comfortable about a want or need
Listening is the most powerful form
of acknowledgment

…a way of saying, “You are

important.”
LISTENING BUILDS STRONGER
RELATIONSHIPS

…CREATES A DESIRE TO COOPERATE

AMONG PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY FEEL
ACCEPTED AND ACKNOWLEDGED.
Listening promotes being heard

“Seek first to understand, then be

understood.”
- Stephen Covey
Listening creates acceptance and
openness

…conveys the message that “I am

not judging you.”
Listening leads to learning

…openness encourages
personal growth and learning
Listening reduces stress and
tension

…minimizes confusion and

misunderstanding, eliminating related
stress and tension
Listening is CRITICAL in conflict
resolution

…much conflict comes from the

need to be heard. Successful
resolution depends on being a non-
anxious presence.
MISCONCEPTION ABOUT
LISTENING
 Listening is the same thing as
hearing
MISCONCEPTION ABOUT
LISTENING
 Listening is the same thing as
breathing
MISCONCEPTION ABOUT
LISTENING
 All listeners receive the same
message
LISTENING BARRIERS
PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
 Hasty Evaluation
LISTENING BARRIERS
PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
 Closed Mindedness
LISTENING BARRIERS
PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
 Day Dreaming
LISTENING BARRIERS
PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
 Prejudice/envy/dislike/Jealousy
LISTENING BARRIERS
PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
 Egoistic attitude/self centered
attitude
LISTENING BARRIERS
PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
 The urge to debate or advise
ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIERS
 Physical (Noise)
ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIERS
 Loud Talking
ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIERS
 Visual Barriers (Posters, Clothes,
Jewellery)
EMOTIONAL BARRIERS
 Group Identification
EMOTIONAL BARRIERS
 Sad Memories
EMOTIONAL BARRIERS
 Fear
EMOTIONAL BARRIERS
 Anxiety
EMOTIONAL BARRIERS
 Anger
SEMANTIC AND LANGUAGE
BARRIERS
 Speakers style of speaking and
mannerisms
 Difficult words and use of jargons
 Lag time
 Mispronounced words or words with
double meaning
SOCIO-CULTURAL BARRIERS
 Different Cultural Background
SOCIO-CULTURAL BARRIERS
 Personal and Public Space
SOCIO-CULTURAL BARRIERS
 Sense of Time
BAD LISTENING HABITS
 Criticize the speakers manner of
talking
BAD LISTENING HABITS
 Declare that the subject is
uninteresting
 Criticize the Content of the Speech
 Pretend to be attentive
 Take down excessive Notes
 Urge to argue or debate
 Jump to conclusion
 TYPES OF LISTENING
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 Marginal Listening
day dreaming, inattention, poor listening
TYPES OF LISTENING
 Critical Listening
Critical listening is a form of listening that
if usually not mentioned, since it involves
analysis, critical thinking and judgment.
Making judgments during listening is often
considered as a barrier to understand a
person, and there's a lot of truth in that.
TYPES OF LISTENING
 Selective Listening
TYPES OF LISTENING
 Appreciative Listening
TYPES OF LISTENING
 DISCRIMINATIVE LISTENING is when
the listener distinguishes between the
verbal and the nonverbal message. For
instance, your friend may tell you that they
are feeling good, but the frown on their
face and their sluggish posture may tell you
otherwise. This type of listening can be
used for all types of public speeches.
TYPES OF LISTENING
 COMPREHENSIVE LISTENING is
listening to understand. Many situations
can require us to listen for knowledge. For
instance, if your boss at work tells you how
to complete a specific task you would need
to utilize this type of listening if you will be
able to understand and complete the task
as he instructed. Most of the public
speeches will require a listener to utilize
this type of listening and it is mostly used
when listening to an Informative speech.
TYPES OF LISTENING
 EMPATHETIC LISTENING is an ability to
listen to others and feel for the other
person. This requires an ability to feel
empathetic for another persons feelings
and needs, requiring a sense of
compassion. When a loved one tells you
their feelings about the death of a family
member you will probably be able to listen
empathetically. A Eulogy is a perfect
example of a Special Occasion speech in
which listeners will listen empathetically.
TYPES OF LISTENING
 Active Listening/Attentive Listening
Close attention, head nods, appreciation,
willingness to listen
ACTIVE LISTENING (4 STEPS)

1. Listen
2. Question
3. Reflect-Paraphrase
4. Agree
STEP 1: LISTEN
 To Feelings As Well As Words
 Words – Emotions – Implications

 Focus on Speaker
 Don’t plan, speak, or get distracted

 What Is Speaker Talking About?

 Topic? Speaker? Listener? Others?

 Look At Speaker

 Use Verbal & Non-Verbal Encouragers

STEP 2: QUESTION
 3 Purposes
 Demonstrates you are listening
 Gather information
 Clarification

 Open-ended
 Tell
me more?
 How did you feel?
 Then what happened?
STEP 3: REFLECT-PARAPHRASE
 Reflect What Is Said (In your words)

 Reflect Feelings

 Reframe
 Capturethe essence of the communication
 Remove negative framing
 Move toward problem solving
STEP 4: AGREE
 Get Speaker’s Consent to Your Reframing

 Speaker Has Been Heard and Knows It!

 Solution Is Near!
DIFFERENT STAGES IN LISTENING
 Selecting Stage

 Interpreting Stage

 Evaluating Stage

 Responding Stage

 Memory Stage
HOW TO OVERCOME LISTENING
BARRIERS
 Be a willing listener by controlling
all barriers

 Have a proper rest and food

 Take down brief notes

 Practicing good body language

BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE
LISTENING
 Improvement in work environment
 Reduces tension
 Saves time
 Improves management-employee
relations
 Leads to early problem solving
 Increases sales and profit
 ACTIVITY

 Speaker – Tell about some success you’ve

had recently.

 Listener – Practice skills

 Observer – Make note of active listening

skills being used. Feedback.