Rebecca A. TorresMaster in Education, major in English Language

TeachingPanpacific University North Philippines

Graduate StudiesUrdaneta City, Pangasinan

Outline of Reports:

1. What effective listening is?2. Importance of effective

listening3. Barriers to effective

listening4. Keys to effective listening

What Effective Listening Is :

Effective Listening is actively absorbing the information given to you by a speaker , showing that you are listening and interested , and providing feedback to the speaker so that he or she knows the message was received.

Importance of Effective Listening Why do we need to listen well?

* Listening leads to the understanding of facts and ideas.

* To avoid miss communication during interaction.

* Listening helps to gain new knowledge and also for enjoyment.

* How well we listen has a major impact on our job effectiveness and on the quality of our relationship with others.

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE Listening :

A barrier is anything that gets in the way of clear communication.

Three Types of Barriers:

1. Physical Barriers consist of any sound that prevents a person from being heard. Physical noise interferes with a speaker’s ability to send messages and with an audience’s ability to receive them.

2. Psychological Barriers consist of thoughts and feelings that distract people from listening to what is said . The noise interferes with the audience’s concentration and ability to hear a speaker’s presentation.

Examples: people not paying attention because they

are absorbed in their own thoughts, faking attention, Yielding to distractions, overreacting to emotional words and tuning out topics that considers to be dull.

3. Semantic Barriers are interferences that are cause by words that triggerstrong negative feelings against the speaker or the content of the

speech . Semantic noise leads to misunderstanding, as well as unpleasant and distracting nonverbal feedback from the audience.

Examples:

A group of students might agree with you if you called rap music “

confusing . “ However , they might stop listening if you began calling rap music

“ garbage .”

Tips to develop effective listening skills

1. Face the speaker and maintain eye contact.

establish eye contact with the speaker. Studies show that listening has a positive relationship with eye contact. In other words , the better eye contact

you have with the speaker , the better you will listen.

How to establish positive eye contact with the speaker:

A. in one-on-one or small group setting ------ sit or stand where you can look directly at the person doing the speaking.

B. In large group, sit to the front and center of the audience.

C. Don’t get involved in taking notes that you fail to look often to the speaker.

D. Resist the temptation to let something about the room, or objects within and around the room, distract you. Focus on the speaker and the message.

E. Don’t look at others who enter or leave while the speaker is speaking.

2. Be attentived, but relax

Be a physically involved listener.

How?

A. Maintain good posture.B. Follow the speaker.C. Don’t be a deadpan. Facial expressions, head nods, and tilt of the head show your involvement and provide positive feedback to the speaker.D. Use your hands not only to take notes, but show approval by applause when appropriate.E. Participate when audience involvement is encourage. Ask questions. Respond when a show of hands is called for. F Smile when appropriate.

3.Keep an open mind. Listen without jumping to conclusions or don’t be a sentence –grabber.( interrupting and finishing sentences) 4. Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying.

Allow your mind to create a mental model

of the information being communicated.( literal picture or abstract concepts)

5. Don’t interrupt and don’t impose your “ solutions ‘

When listening to someone talk about a problem, refrain from suggesting solutions..

6. Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions.

Ask the speaker to explain if you don’t understand something .

7. Ask questions only to ensure understanding.

Paraphrasing back to the speaker what he said then he has a chance to correct any misunderstanding that we have.

8. Try to feel what the speaker is feeling. Emphaty is the heart and soul of

listening. Put yourself in the speakers place . 9. Give the speaker regular feedback. Summarizes the progress of the

conversation from time to time.

10. Pay attention to what isn’t said-to nonverbal cues.

THANK YOU !!!

Have a wonderful morning to one and all.