LISTENING

Listening skills
Listening: Occurs when the brain gives the sound transmitted meaning. Listening is not like breathing. It is unnatural and requires effort. Listening is an active process. No oral communication can be effective without proper listening on the part of the receiver of the message. Poor listening may defeat the very purpose of oral communication. It requires serious efforts on the part of the listener to absorb what is being told.

Listening
Listening might be defined as the art of hearing and understanding what some one is saying. Listening involves concentration, interpretation and understanding of senders message.

We hear things rather than listen. Therefore it is important to learn how to listen effectively.

Hearing and Listening

Hearing Physical process Mechanical Effortless No energy is used Passive Listening Physiological Chemical Involves efforts Energy is utilized Active

Importance of listening
A number of benefits would accrue by cultivating this skill: Improves your intellectual ability to understand and evaluate the views and opinions expressed by others. Enable you to gather proper and accurate information, facilitating appropriate decision making. Assist you to establish rapport with co-workers quickly. Help the speaker give his/her best in group communication situations.

Benefits of Listening:
Find out more information Learn about people and how their minds work Improves relations with people Raise morale of team-members as well as subordinates Obtain suggestion and new ideas Discover why employees perform Help in solving problems

Listening Process
Listening is a 4 stage self-generated activity: Hearing Filtering & Interpreting Responding Remembering Hearing is a physiological process and a passive activity. Listening is a mental process and involves understanding and retaining the message.

Types of Listening

Appreciative Listening
Listening for pleasure or enjoyment.

Empathic Listening
Listening to provide emotional support for the speaker.

Comprehensive Listening
Listening to understand the message of a speaker.

Critical Listening
Listening to evaluate a message for purposes of accepting or rejecting it.

PURPOSE OF LISTENING
PURPOSE OF LISTENING

SOCIALIZATION

LEARNING

RELAXATION

LEISURE TIME

1. In the context of performance of our duties there are two specific purposes of listening. 2. We listen to gain new information and ideas transmitted through both formal and informal channels. 3. Listening enables us to participate effectively in discussions and other interactions.

Barriers in the listening

1. Problems of listening 2. Being self centered 3. Planning to reply 4. Tendency to criticize 5. Impatience 6. Lack of interest 7. Emotional blocks 8. Emotional excitement 9. Other negative attitudes 10. External noise and disturbance
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IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING TO NON VERBAL MESSAGE

The non verbal part of a person `s communication is largely unconscious and cannot be controlled or hidden by the speaker Facial expressions, gestures and postures Tone, pitch of voice and speed of speaking Omission of facts ,failure to explain or to illustrate

CULTIVATE GOOD LISTENING SKILLS

1.Prepare to listen. Stop talking! The listener should prepare him or her self for listening and avoid

talking while listening. When you are talking you cant concentrate on
listening. So it is a must, to establish the correct mental attitude to listening. Stop talking and concentrate on what the other person is

saying. 2.Recognize your own biases.

Though people hear a lot of things they take only that which relates to their personal frame of reference. To be an effective listener, you should realize what your biases are and need to make adjustments for them.

CULTIVATE GOOD LISTENING SKILLS

3.Resist distractions. We have to be careful not to distract ourselves as we can easily

lose track of what is being said. It is important to arrange the

environment in a way that it minimizes all possible distractions and thereby encouraging a listener to concentrate on the speech. 4.Keep an open mind. A good listener can participate in the communication with an

open mind. He or she doesnt feel threatened or insulted and

willingly hears the messages that contradict his or her beliefs, attitudes, ideas or personal values.

CULTIVATE GOOD LISTENING SKILLS

5.Find an area of interest. There is no such thing as an uninteresting subject; there are only uninteresting people. Active listener always tries to find ways to relate the message to themselves and/or their work environment. 6.Acknowledge the speaker. It is always important for effective listening to let the speaker understand that you are actively listening. Facial expressions i.e. smile, eye contact with the speaker, nodding your head, all covey to the speaker that he has your attention.

CULTIVATE GOOD LISTENING SKILLS

7.Show some empathy.
Look at the conversation from speakers point of view. Delay the judgments and emotions until you have fully understood the intent and the content that of the message being communicated.

8.Hold your fire, be patient. Do not interrupt the speaker until he or she finishes
what they intend to say. Make sure that you are clear about what is being said.

CULTIVATE GOOD LISTENING SKILLS

9.Listen critically and delay judgment. Effective listeners do not make a judgment before hand. They listen critically and ask questions for clarification. 10.Judge content, not delivery.

All the listeners may not grasp the message at an equal rate. The
level of understanding of a listener depends on his or her own experience. A good listener always focuses on the content and not the delivery or person.

CULTIVATE GOOD LISTENING SKILLS

11.Exercise your mind but dont let it wander.

When your mind wanders, make eye contact with

the speaker, focus on the message and check for understanding, ask questions for clarifications. 12.Capitalize on thought speed. It is important for an active listener to capitalize his or her thought speed to think on what is being said and understanding it.

Thank You

For your patient listening