LIS TEN IN G S K ILLS

By Sukriti Bajaj
O V ER V IEW
O verview

Listening
Empathy
Barriers Of Listening
Listening In The Workplace
Principles Of Listening
Misconceptions About Listening
Habits To Avoid While Listening
LIS TEN IN G
Listening

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 communication breaks
down and the sender of the message can
easily become frustrated or irritated.
Listening

Requires concentration and energy

Involves a psychological connection with

the speaker

Includes a desire and willingness to try

and see things from another's perspective

Requires that we suspend judgment and

evaluation
Listening

Listening skills can lead to:

better customer satisfaction

greater productivity with fewer mistakes

increased sharing of information that in

turn can lead to more creative and
innovative work
Listening

Good listening skills also have benefits

in our personal lives, including:

A greater number of friends and social

networks, improved self-esteem and
confidence, higher grades at school
and in academic work and even better
health and general well-being.
Listening

Good listening skills also have benefits

in our personal lives, including:

Studies have shown that, whereas

speaking raises blood pressure,
attentive listening can bring it down.
 Action
Action
Evaluation
Evaluation
Interpretation
Interpretation
Perception
Perception
Listening Process
EM PATH Y
Em pathy

Empathy means being open to the ideas

of others and sensitive to their values and
feelings: trying to see things from the
other person's perspective.

It is about demonstrating that you

understand, that you can listen from
other person's point of view and reflect
their meaning
Em pathy

Each individual has a unique perspective

which should be valued. We each occupy
our own private world and never
completely know what's going on inside
other people's minds.

Be prepared to disclose your own feelings

and beliefs to encourage others to do the
same: be open with other people.
B A R R IER S O F LIS TEN IN G
M entalBarriers

Inattention

Prejudgment

Frame of reference

Closed-mindedness

Pseudo listening
Physical& O ther Barriers

Hearing impairment

Noisy surroundings

Speakers appearance

Speakers mannerisms

Lag time
LIS TEN IN G IN TH E
W O R K P LA C E
Listening In The W orkplace

Listening to superiors

Listening to employees

Listening to customers
Listening In The W orkplace

Stop talking.

Control external and internal distractions.

Become actively involved.

Separate facts from opinions.

Identify important facts.

Listening In The W orkplace

Ask clarifying questions.

Paraphrase to increase understanding.

Capitalize on lag time.

Take notes to ensure retention.

Be aware of gender differences.

Listening To Custom ers

Defer judgment.

Pay attention to content (not to

appearance, form, or surface issues).

Listen completely.

Listen primarily for the main idea; avoid

responding to sidetracking issues.
Listening To Custom ers

Do only one thing at a time; listening is

a full-time job.

Control your emotions.

Be silent for a moment after the

customer finishes.

Make affirming statements and invite

additional comments.
P R IN C IP LES O F LIS TEN IN G
Principles O fListening

Stop Talking

If we were supposed to talk more than we listen,

we would have two tongues and one ear.- Mark
Twain.

Don't talk, listen. When somebody else is talking

listen to what they are saying, do not interrupt,
talk over them or finish their sentences for them.
Stop, just listen. When the other person has
finished talking you may need to clarify to ensure
you have received their message accurately.
Principles O fListening

Prepare Yourself to Listen

Relax.

Focus on the speaker. Put other things out of

mind. The human mind is easily distracted by
other thoughts whats for lunch, what time
do I need to leave to catch my train, is it going
to rain try to put other thoughts out of mind
and concentrate on the messages that are
being communicated.
Principles O fListening

Put the Speaker at Ease

Help the speaker to feel free to speak.

Remember their needs and concerns. Nod or

use other gestures or words to encourage them
to continue.

Maintain eye contact but dont stare show you

are listening and understanding what is being
said.
Principles O fListening

Remove Distractions

Focus on what is being said.

Dont doodle, shuffle papers, look out the

window, pick your fingernails or similar.
Avoid unnecessary interruptions. These
behaviours disrupt the listening process
and send messages to the speaker that
you are bored or distracted.
Principles O fListening

Empathise

Try to understand the other persons point of view.

Look at issues from their perspective. Let go of

preconceived ideas. By having an open mind we
can more fully empathise with the speaker. If the
speaker says something that you disagree with
then wait and construct an argument to counter
what is said but keep an open mind to the views
and opinions of others.
Principles O fListening

Avoid Personal Prejudice

Try to be impartial.

Don't become irritated and don't let the persons

habits or mannerisms distract you from what the
speaker is really saying. Everybody has a different
way of speaking - some people for example have
regional accents or make excessive arm
movements, some people like to pace whilst talking
- others like to sit still. Focus on what is being said
and try to ignore styles of delivery.
Principles O fListening

Be Patient

A pause, even a long pause, does not

necessarily mean that the speaker has
finished.

Be patient and let the speaker continue in

their own time, sometimes it takes time to
formulate what to say and how to say it. Never
interrupt or finish a sentence for someone.
Principles O fListening

Listen to the Tone

Volume and tone both add to what someone is

saying.

A good speaker will use both volume and tone

to their advantage to keep an audience
attentive; everybody will use pitch, tone and
volume of voice in certain situations let these
help you to understand the emphasis of what
is being said.
Principles O fListening

Listen for Ideas Not Just Words

You need to get the whole picture, not just

isolated bits and pieces.

Maybe one of the most difficult aspects of

listening is the ability to link together pieces
of information to reveal the ideas of others.
With proper concentration, letting go of
distractions, and focus this becomes easier.
Principles O fListening

Wait and Watch for Non-Verbal

Communication

Gestures, facial expressions, and eye-

movements can all be important.

We dont just listen with our ears but also

with our eyes watch and pick up the
additional information being transmitted
via non-verbal communication.
M IS C O N C EP TIO N S A B O U T
LIS TEN IN G
M isconceptions About Listening

Listening is a matter of intelligence.

Fact: Careful listening is a learned
behavior.

Speaking is a more important part of the

communication process than listening.
Fact: Speaking and listening are equally
important.
M isconceptions About Listening

Listening is easy and requires little energy.

Fact: Active listeners undergo the same
physiological changes as a person
jogging.

Listening is an automatic reflex.

Fact: Listening is a conscious, selective
process; hearing is an involuntary act.
M isconceptions About Listening

Speakers are able to command listening.

Fact: Speakers cannot make a person
really listen.

Hearing ability determines listening

ability.
Fact: Listening happens mentally
between the ears.
M isconceptions About Listening

Speakers are totally responsible for

communication success.
Fact: Communication is a two-way street.

Listening is only a matter of understanding

a speakers words.
Fact: Nonverbal signals also help
listeners gain understanding.
M isconceptions About Listening

Daily practice eliminates the need for listening

training.
Fact: Without effective listening training,
most practice merely reinforces negative
behaviors.

Competence in listening develops naturally.

Fact: Untrained people listen at only 25
percent efficiency.
H A B ITS TO A V O ID W H ILE
LIS TEN IN G
H abits To Avoid W hile Listening

Rushing the speaker and making him feel he

is wasting the listeners time.

Interrupting the speaker.

Not looking at the speaker.

Getting ahead of the speaker (finishing her

thoughts).
H abits To Avoid W hile Listening

Not responding to the speakers requests.

Showing interest in something other than

what the speaker is saying.

Saying Yes, but . . ., as if the listeners

mind is made up.
H abits To Avoid W hile Listening

Topping the speakers story with That

reminds me . . . or Thats nothing; let
me tell you about. . . .

Forgetting what was talked about

previously.

Asking too many questions about details.

Activity -1

Listen a song and write the lyrics.

Activity -2

Watch an interview and write the

transcript.
Activity -3

Watch a scene and write the transcript.

TH A N K YO U !