MODULE: 1 (LAB-2)

LISTENING SKILLS
Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication
process. Listening is key to all effective communication. Without the ability to listen effectively,
messages are easily misunderstood.

 Listening is the most important communication skill.

 We probably spend more time using our Listening Skills than any other kind of skill.
 Like other skills, Listening takes practice.
 Real Listening is an active process.
 Listening requires attention.

Effective Listening

Effective Listening is the process of analysing sounds, organizing them into recognizable patterns,
interpreting the patterns and understanding the message by inferring the meaning

Many of the problems we experience with people in our daily lives are primarily attributable to
ineffective listening or lack of listening.

Listening Comes First

The First and the foremost communication skill that we learn in our lives is nothing but
“LISTENING ”

LISTENING

SPEAKING

WRITING

READING
ACCORDING TO THE ELMHURST COLLEGE LEARNING CENTER:

Listening and hearing are not the same. Hearing is the first stage of listening. Hearing occurs when
our ears pick up sound waves which are then transported to our brain. This stage is our sense of
hearing.

Listening is a communication process and, to be successful, is an active process. In other words, we

must be an active participant in this communication process. In active listening, meaning and
evaluation of a message must take place before a listener can respond to a speaker. Therefore, the
listener is actively working while the speaker is talking.

How can this happen? It is simple. Our thought speed is much faster than our speech speed. But be
careful! Don't allow the thought speed to race into daydreaming. This habit will defeat our attempt
to become an active listener.

Fallacies about Listening

 Listening is not my problem.

 Listening and hearing are the same.
 Good readers are good listeners.
 Smarter people are better listeners.
 Listening improves with age.
 Listening skills are difficult to learn.

Objectives of Listening

 To learn.
 To increase one understands.
 To advise or counsel.
 To relieve one’s boredom.

Importance of Listening

 Communication is not complete without effective listening.

 An attentive listener stimulates better speaking by the speaker.
 A good listener learns more than an indifferent listener.
 A good listener can restructure vague speaking in a way that produces clearer meaning.
 A good listener learns to detect prejudices, assumptions and attitudes.

Note Making

Notes are short written record of facts to aid the memory. Notes are usually taken to record a
speech or dictation while listening to it or after reading a book, magazine or article. They are
referred back whenever needed and may be reproduced in the desired way.
Characteristics of good notes :

1. Short and Compact: Good notes must be short and compact.

2. Complete Information: They must contain all the important information.
3. Logical: They must be presented in a logical way.
4. Understandable: They should be understandable when consulted at a later stage.

Active Listening Process STEPS:

HEARING: Hearing is the first essential step in the listening process and relates to the sensory
perception of sound. The listener further processes the perceived sound. For learning to be
effective, hearing needs to be done with attentiveness and concentration.

FILTERING: The next step involves sensing and filtering of heard sounds. The heard message is
categorized as wanted or unwanted. The unwanted message is discarded. The sense of judgement of
the individual comes into play, that is, the filtering process is subjective and a person chooses to
retain what makes sense to him.

COMPREHENDING: The listener understands what the speaker has tried to convey. This activity can
be described as absorbing, grasping or assimilating. The listener uses his knowledge, experience,
perception and cognitive power.

REMEMBERING: The assimilated message is stored in memory to facilitate future recall.

RESPONDING Responding to a message takes place at the end of the communication, immediately
after or later, to show that the message is being received and comprehended.

Characteristics of Good and Effective Listener

Good and effective listener tries to give maximum amount of thought to the speaker’s ideas being
communicated, leaving a minimum amount of time for mental exercises to go off track. A good
listener:

1. Is attentive- Good listener must pay attention to the key points. He should be alert. He should
avoid any kind of distraction.
2. Do not assume- Good listener does not ignore the information he considers is unnecessary.
He should always summarize the speaker’s ideas so that there is no misunderstanding of
thoughts of speakers. He avoids premature judgements about the speakers message.
3. Listen for feelings and facts- Good listener deliberately listens for the feelings of the
speaker. He concentrates totally on the facts. He evaluates the facts objectively. His listening
is sympathetic, active and alert. He keenly observes the gestures, facial expression and body
language of the speaker. In short, a good listener should be projective (i.e. one who tries to
understand the views of the speaker) and empathic (i.e. one who concentrates not only on the
surface meaning of the message but tries to probe the feelings and emotions of the speaker).
4. Concentrate on the other speakers kindly and generously- A good listener makes
deliberate efforts to give a chance to other speakers also to express their thoughts and views.
He tries to learn from every speaker. He evaluates the speaker’s ideas in spare time. He
focuses on the content of the speaker’s message and not on the speaker’s personality and
looks.
5. Opportunists- A good listener tries to take benefit from the opportunities arising. He asks
“What’s in it for me?”
Barriers to Effective Listening

1. Physical Barriers
2. People – Related Barriers
 Physiological Barriers
 Psychological Barriers

Physical Barriers

 Noise
 Poor acoustics
 Defective mechanical devices
 Frequent interruptions
 Uncomfortable seating arrangements
 Uncomfortable environment
 Message overload

Physiological Barriers

State of Health – State of health of the listener and the speaker affects the listening ability. Fever,
pain or any other form of bodily discomfort makes it difficult for a person to listen or speak
comfortably.

Disability – Hearing deficiencies may lead to poor listening. Similarly, speech disorders of the
speaker may make a speech incoherent to the listener. Speaker’s accent may also make it difficult
for the listener to comprehend.

Wandering attention – Human mind can process words at the rate of about 500 per minute,
whereas a speaker speaks at the rate of about 150 per minute. The difference between the two
leaves the listener with sufficient time to let his mind wander.

Being unsure of the speaker’s ability – Based on past experience or inputs from sources, the listener
may have a preconceived notion of the speaker’s ability. He may perceive the speaker to not be well
informed, or to be lacking in depth and ability. Hence the listener will not listen to what the speaker
has to say.

Personal anxiety – Sometimes the listener is preoccupied with personal concerns and anxieties. This
makes it difficult to perceive what is being said by the speaker.

Attitude – The listener may be highly egocentric with a “know it all attitude” and may not listen as
he feels that he already knows what the listener has to say.

Impatience – The listener may not have patience to wait for the other person to finish what he has
to say. He may be intolerant or may be eager to add his own points to the discussion. As a result, his
desire to speak overcomes his desire to listen, thus acting as a barrier.
Emotional blocks – Our deep seated beliefs in certain ideas may make it difficult for us to listen to
ideas which go against our belief. We may hear such an idea wrongly or it may get distorted in our
mind to match our perception or we may completely block it off by not listening to it. Many a time,
we block something off completely because of painful memories associated with it.