Hearing vs.

Listening

“Was I paying
attention?”
 Hearing vs. Listening
• Do you think there is a difference between
hearing and listening?
• You are right, there is!
• Hearing is simply the act of perceiving sound
by the ear. If you are not hearing-impaired,
hearing simply happens.
• Listening, however, is something you
consciously choose to do. Listening requires
concentration so that your brain processes
meaning from words and sentences. Listening
leads to learning.
 Most people
tend to be "hard
of listening"
rather than
"hard of
hearing."
 Listening
. . . is intermittent.
. . . is a learned skill.
. . . is active.
. . . implies using the message received.
The Process of Listening
 Types of Listening
• Listening to Learn and Comprehend
• Listening to Evaluate and Critique
• Listening to Empathize and Understand
Listening to Learn and Comprehend
 Involves a search for facts and ideas and a
quest for information

Often occurs during public presentations or

when technical subjects are explained or new
information is presented

Listener’s purpose is to receive a message

that is as similar as possible to the speaker’s
intended message

Used when people listen because of a need

to know something such as meaning of facts,
figures, or events, or because they want to
keep up with the world
Example is a class lecture and
a training seminar
Challenge is the vast amount of information
that bombards us through broadcast, print
and electronic media
By carefully selecting the
Computer mediated messages messages to attend to and then
such as emails and chat rooms giving them your full attention,
are also a form of listening you can listen to learn and
comprehend more effectively
Listening to Evaluate and Critique
One has to critically analyze the meaning
and merits of a speaker’s message
additional to understanding a message
Involves analyzing the
speaker’s message, it
When Jesse told Aisha
entails critical thinking,
about the problems he
examining the
Listener’s purpose is was experiencing in
speaker’s reasoning
to evaluate the his calculus class, he
processes and logic,
speaker’s facts, was looking for her to
sifting through the
opinions and listen evaluatively and
ideas and evidence
assumptions given him some advice
presented, and
about managing the
forming your own
workload in the course
conclusions of what
was said
 Evaluative and critical listening skills
are developed gradually. As people
mature, they learn to listen critically
and objectively.

Crucial in our context since in future

need to attend important
presentations in a corporate
boardroom or civic meeting and Example is court of law
expected to comment thoughtfully
and provide feedback to the
presenter.
 Main challenge to
evaluative and critical
listening: biases, both
your own and the
speaker’s.

Important to be aware of
personal biases and must
be able to separate the
biases from the message if
the speaker appears biased

Remaining open-minded
and postponing judgment,
By listening evaluatively
and critically
One can sidestep any
tendency towards bias.
Listening to Empathize and
Understand
 Listening to Empathize and
Understand
entails focusing on the speaker’s feelings
and attitudes while gaining information.
Focus is not on trying to gain
information for your own purposes or Listener’s purpose is to see and feel
to form judgments of what is said . the world as the other person does
The interests, opinions, and feelings of and
the other person supercede your own

When Jesse shared his woes about the

calculus class, he was asking Aisha to
To offer understanding and support or
listen empathically and understand his
to get to know the person better
frustration with the heavy workload,
which she didn’t do
 It’s a useful skill in building
Empathetic listening helps
and maintaining healthy
you understand other
relationships as well as
people
helping other people.

Listen empathically, do not

If a friend or a partner
comes to you with a
serious problem, what will
you do?
judge or provide unsolicited
advice, reflect your
impressions of the
speaker’s attitudes and
feelings back to him or her

Not only helps your friend

feel better, it also
strengthens your
relationship.
 having to even when
listen without you disagree
main challenge
evaluating or with the
criticizing speaker.

More positive
Suppressing the
approach: jumping in
desire to argue or
Overcoming this to offer solutions
debate when you
challenge prematurely also
disagree with the
hinders empathetic
speaker
listening.
 Try to just listen Use verbal and The person
to what the non-verbal cues requesting it is
speaker has to to show that it open to
say is correct, listening to it.

Another challenge Although this level Men disfavor

is how comfortable of comfort may discussions about
people feel talking vary, many emotions whereas
about their feelings researchers regard women favor such
and emotions. gender as a factor talk.
Integrating the Types of Listening
different Considering the three
communication types of listening as
situations call for separate, discrete or
different types of unconnected to one
listening another is misleading

Several times, a Participating in a

single communication small group
situation requires discussion to prepare
more than one kind a group presentation
of listening
 Listening Skills
• Improving Your Listening Skills
• Recognizing Various Types of Listening
• Understanding the Listening Process
 Improving your Listening Skills
• In personal and professional life, if unable to listen a speaker’s message will not get
through
• 80% of top executives regard listening as the most important skill needed in a
workplace
• Vital to build trust not only among organization but individuals as well
Importance • Give s one competitive edge, enhances performance and increases your influence
within the company

• Good listening skills enhances product delivery

• Strengthens organizational relationships
• Allows the organization to manage diversity within both workforce and customers
• Companies whose employees and managers are effective listeners stay informed, up
to date and out of trouble
Good • Poor listening skills cost companies million o dollars per year since they lose
listening skills opportunities, make legal mistakes etc.
 Types of Listening
Content listening
Emphasis on information and understanding, ask questions for
Goal is to understand and retain the speaker’s message
clarification and probe for details

Critical listening
If skeptical, ask questions to e explore speaker’s POV and
Goal is to understand and evaluate the meaning of the speaker’s
credibility. Look out for bias and carefully separate opinions from
message on several levels
facts

Empathic listening
Goal is to understand the speaker’s feelings, needs and wants so Helps individual vent emotions making them look calmly and clear
that one cam appreciate their POV whether you agree or disagree headedly towards the situation. Avoid personal comments and
with it advice unless asked
 Critical
listening
Content Empathic
listening listeninh

Active
listening
Understanding the Listening Process
Receiving

Decoding

Remembering

Evaluating

Responding
Barriers to Effective
Listening
• Physical barriers ( hearing disabilities,
poor accoustics, noisy surroundings,
illness, tiredness, being uncomfortable
or worried)
• Psychological barriers (everyone has a
pre perceived set of cultural, ethical and
personal values, individual ideas of rihgt
and important; ideas running counter to
our preconceived thoughts, we tune out
the speaker and fail to hear)
Barriers to Effective
Listening
• Language problems (un familiar words
are not understandable; emotion-laden
or “charged words” cause adverse
effect, intense emotional impact of
words)
• Nonverbal distractions (unusual
clothing, speech mannerisms, body
twitches, radical hairstyle)
Barriers to Effective
Listening
• Thought speed (mind processes words
three times faster than speech; become
bored and mind wanders)
• Faking attention (mind engages in
unchecked fancy; even if one wishes to
do so listening becomes difficult)
• Grandstanding (rather talk than listen;
fail to listen since waiting for next
pause so that we may start speaking)
Tips for Becoming an Active Listener
1. Stop talking
2. Control your surroundings
3. Establish a receptive mindset
4. Keep an open mind
5. Listen for main points
6. Capitalize on lag time
7. Listen between the lines
8. Judge ideas, not apppearances
9. Hold your fire
10. Take selective notes
11. Provide feedback
 Listening Sub-skills
• Listening for Specific Information
• Listening for Gist
• Listening in Detail
 Listening for Specific Information

When we listen to
discover a
At the
specific piece of
At the airport, we convocation, a
information. We
listen for specific student listens for
know in advance
information when specific
what we are
listening for information when
hoping to find out
information about anticipating their
we can ignore
our flight name to be called
other information
out
that doesn’t
directly concern us
 Listening for Gist

When we listen
When we listen
to the news on
to get a general
television, we When we listen
idea of what is
wish to get an to a song, we
being said. We
idea as to what want to enjoy it
do not need to
has generally overall
understand every
happened in the
word.
country that day
 Listening in Detail

When one is in a
city one does not
When we pay know and has when we are
attention to all asked someone chatting to an old
the words and for directions to friend, after
try to understand the hotel, one some time and
as much listens in detail exchanging
information as so as not to miss news, we listen
possible. out any in detail
important piece
of information
 Promoting Better Listening
• Desire to listen.
• Focus on the message.
• Listen for main ideas.
• Understand the
speaker’s point of view.
 Promoting Better Listening cont.
• Withhold judgment.
• Reinforce the message.
• Provide feedback.
• Listen with the body.
• Listen critically.
 Types of Listening
• Active vs. Passive
• Positive vs. Negative
• What Kind is it?
– Appreciative
– Empathic
– Discriminative
– Analytical
 Conclusion
• "What is so important about listening? I listen!"
• Sure you do. But how? How adept are you, for example, in
getting people to come right out and really talk to you?
• Before you can get the most out of a listening situation, others
must first believe that you really want to listen. They must feel
that when they tell you something, it will be received by you in
the proper spirit.
• Learn to listen beyond the words, with your heart as well as
your ears.
• Observe the signs of the inner feelings such as voice quality,
facial expressions, body posture and motions, etc. These actions
are revealing, and sometimes may have an opposite meaning
from the spoken word.
• A friend put it this way: "You listened as if you wanted to hear
what I was going to say, as if it was really important to you.
And that makes me feel good!"