Index: Meaning & Barriers EFFECTIVE Listening Tips of Effective Listening Conclusion
Index: Meaning & Barriers EFFECTIVE Listening Tips of Effective Listening Conclusion
TOPICS PAGE NO
Meaning 1
8-10
Features on listening
Meaning of listening
According to Dulay and Burt (1975, p.109) the listening experiences that help
students lessen their anxiety about listening will generally be beneficial, and also is
so important learner´s motives and attitudes about listening, the instructor can better
select input or point learners to the best resources and opportunities for appropriate
input.
I think Listening is the language skill which learners usually find the most difficult; this
often is because they feel difficult to understand every word. To achieve the aims
related to this skill.
Hearing
Focusing on the message
Comprehending and interpreting
Analyzing and Evaluating
Responding
Remembering
HEARING - it refers to the response caused by sound waves stimulating the sensory
receptors of the ear; it is physical response; hearing is perception of sound waves;
you must hear to listen, but you need not listen to hear (perception necessary for
listening depends on attention
ATTENTION- brain screens stimuli and permits only a select few to come into focus-
these selective perception is known as attention, an important requirement for
effective listening; strong stimuli like bright lights, sudden noise…are attention
getters; attention to more commonplace or less striking stimuli requires special effort;
postural adjustments are aided by physical changes in sensory receptor organs;
receptor adjustments might include tensing of the ear´s tympanic muscle for better
response to weak sounds
RESPONDING- this stage requires that the receiver complete the process through
verbal and/or nonverbal feedback; because the speaker has no other way to
determine if a message has been received , this stage becomes the only overt
means by which the sender may determine the degree of success in transmitting the
message.
Here are six types of listening, starting with basic discrimination of sounds and
ending in deep communication.
Discriminative listening
Discriminative listening is the most basic type of listening, whereby the difference
between difference sounds is identified. If you cannot hear differences, then you
cannot make sense of the meaning that is expressed by such differences.
We learn to discriminate between sounds within our own language early, and later
are unable to discriminate between the phonemes of other languages. This is one
reason why a person from one country finds it difficult to speak another language
perfectly, as they are unable distinguish the subtle sounds that are required in that
language.
Likewise, a person who cannot hear the subtleties of emotional variation in another
person's voice will be less likely to be able to discern the emotions the other person
is experiencing.
The next step beyond discriminating between different sound and sights is to make
sense of them. To comprehend the meaning requires first having a lexicon of words
at our fingertips and also all rules of grammar and syntax by which we can
understand what others are saying.
The same is true, of course, for the visual components of communication, and an
understanding of body language helps us understand what the other person is really
meaning.
In communication, some words are more important and some less so, and
comprehension often benefits from extraction of key facts and items from a long
spiel.
Critical listening is listening in order to evaluate and judge, forming opinion about
what is being said. Judgment includes assessing strengths and weaknesses,
agreement and approval.
This form of listening requires significant real-time cognitive effort as the listener
analyzes what is being said, relating it to existing knowledge and rules, while
simultaneously listening to the ongoing words from the speaker.
Biased listening
Biased listening happens when the person hears only what they want to hear,
typically misinterpreting what the other person says based on the stereotypes and
other biases that they have. Such biased listening is often very evaluative in nature.
Evaluative listening
In evaluative listening, or critical listening, we make judgments about what the other
person is saying. We seek to assess the truth of what is being said. We also judge
what they say against our values, assessing them as good or bad, worthy or
unworthy.
Appreciative listening
Sympathetic listening
In sympathetic listening we care about the other person and show this concern in the
way we pay close attention and express our sorrow for their ills and happiness at
their joys.
In order to get others to expose these deep parts of themselves to us, we also need
to demonstrate our empathy in our demeanor towards them, asking sensitively and
in a way that encourages self-disclosure.
Therapeutic listening
In therapeutic listening, the listener has a purpose of not only empathizing with the
speaker but also to use this deep connection in order to help the speaker
understand, change or develop in some way.
This not only happens when you go to see a therapist but also in many social
situations, where friends and family seek to both diagnose problems from listening
and also to help the speaker cure themselves, perhaps by some cathartic process.
This also happens in work situations, where managers, HR people, trainers and
coaches seek to help employees learn and develop.
Dialogic listening
The word 'dialogue' stems from the Greek words 'dia', meaning 'through' and 'logos'
meaning 'words'. Thus dialogic listening mean learning through conversation and an
engaged interchange of ideas and information in which we actively seek to learn
more about the person and how they think.
Relationship listening
Relationship listening is also important in areas such as negotiation and sales, where
it is helpful if the other person likes you and trusts you.
Focus on Listening
Listen to yourself!
Before you can be an effective listener you have to ensure you are ready to listen.
Many times people in crisis need to talk through their problems, not get advice on
how to solve their problems.
If you aren’t sure if the person wants you to “just” listen or give advice ASK them!
Avoid thinking about your response or other non-related things until the person is
finished speaking.
Remove distractions.
If there is a distraction (TV, music, someone else in the room) remove the distraction
if possible so you can focus.
If you can’t remove the distraction, schedule a time when you can focus on their
concerns.
Don’t always rush to fill in gaps in conversation. These gaps can be important for the
individual to gather their thoughts or express themselves emotionally.
Empathy
Refrain from being judgmental.
Empathy doesn’t mean you agree with the person, just that you have identified and
understand how they are feeling.
Uncomfortable conversations.
If you have difficulty keeping your beliefs from interfering with your ability to listen, let
the person know the topic is too sensitive for you.
Use minimal encouragers such as “Uh huh” and “I see” to communicate you are
paying attention.
Paraphrase what the person has said to you and ask questions to fill in gaps.
This will not only help you understand, but help the person think through their
concerns and express their emotions more effectively.
Pay attention to situations when you lose energy, feel a knot in your stomach, want
to cry or become angry.
These signals are ways your mind and body tell you your personal boundaries have
been crossed.
A) Physiological Barriers
1) Hearing Problems – hearing deficiencies, auditory-processing difficulties like
auditory discrimination, sequencing, memory
2) Rapid Thought – the brain is able to process at 500 wpm, but people speak at 125
wpm, leaving a lot of free time to drift
B) Environmental Barriers
1) Physical Distractions
2) Problems in the Communication Channel – face-time is far more accurate than
any other type
3) Message Overload – coping with a deluge of information
C) Attitudinal Barriers
1) Preoccupation – what else do you have to think about?
2) Egocentrism – “My opinion is worth more”; rates lower on the social attractiveness
scale; “Nobody ever listened himself out of a job.”
3) Fear of Appearing Ignorant
D) Faulty Assumptions
1) Assuming that Effective Communication is the Sender’s Responsibility – both
speaker and listener share the burden of reaching an understanding
2) Assuming that Listening is Passive – can be hard work, you may nee to ask
questions or paraphrase the statements to ensure your understanding
3) Assuming that Talking has more Advantages than Listening – “Big people
monopolize the listening, small people monopolize the talking.”
1) Cultural Differences
(a) Accents – the assumption that anyone with an accent is less intelligent, the
“noise” of misunderstanding due to accents
(b) Time – the amount of time that is spent listening varies culturally
(c) Silence – the length of silences also varies culturally
2) Gender Differences
(a) Women listen for relational subtext, men for content
(c) Men & women listen for different reasons
(d) “All else being equal, women are not as likely to be listened to as men,
regardless of how they speak or what they say.”
Be present
Conclusion:
Communication skills are the ability to listen impartially, to try to absorb the essence
of what the other person is saying, and to really understand their point of view.
These are the skills that will make us better communicators, better friends and
partners, and certainly help our overall happiness and success.