LISTENING

Little known facts about Listening

Research studies have found that:1. The average listening efficiency rate is only 25

per cent.2. Immediately after a 10 minute presentation,

a normal listener can recall only 50 per cent of the information conveyed.

3. After 24 hours the recall level is only 25 per cent.

Little known facts about Listening4. Adults spend about 29.5 % of their waking

hours listening.5. On an average, personnel at all levels spend

about 32.7% of their time listening.6. Speaking takes up 25.8% of their time and

writing 22.6%.7. Top executives spend even more time

listening than other employees.8. Stephen Covey identifies listening as one of

the “seven habits of highly effective people”.

The cycle of listening comprises two stages:1. Encoding and transmission of the message by

the sender.2. Decoding and providing the required feedback

by the receiver. Listening comprises three stages:1. Levelling2. Sharpening3. Assimilation Successful progression and completion of these

three stages determine the accuracy of the listening process.

Stages of Listening1. Levelling : Mind is kept open for inflow of

information.• Thereafter sifting of information follows.• Sensical is separated from nonsensical.• Desired material is retained and rest is

dumped and discarded.2. Sharpening : Focusing on or ‘sharpening’ of

verbal inputs by the mental filters.3. Assimilation : This is the final stage where

assimilation of relevant texts takes place.

TYPES OF LISTENING• The crucial amongst the various types of listening

are:

Passive listening

Marginal listening

Projective listening

Sensitive/Empathetic

Active listening

TYPES OF LISTENING1. Passive listening: The physical presence but

mental absence of the listener can be defined as passive listening or hearing.

o All spoken messages are heard but not absorbed.

o Utterances sink in the mind of the individual in the form of a heap of “verbal garbage” without any actual processing.

o The onus of making the receiver a passive listener rests squarely on the shoulders of the sender.

TYPES OF LISTENING2. Marginal listening: Provision of too

much/uninteresting/unrelated information often lead to marginal listening.

o Listening happens at the superficial level and the listener does not attempt to go beyond a brief understanding of the topic discussed.

o The most common factor that can be attributed to this kind of listening is fatigue or boredom.

o Information seeps in the mind only in bits and pieces.

o ML is better than passive listening.

TYPES OF LISTENING3. Projective listening: Here, the responses of the

receiver are in a state of ‘restful alertness’.o Each individual has a frame of reference in which the

perspective of the co-interactant is absorbed or at least attempted to.

o The image of a camera can be used to understand the concept.

o The receiver tries to bring about a union between the experiences of the sender and the self in such a manner as if it were a combination of micro and the macro.

o Micro is the narrow perspective of the receiver, while the macro is the broader perspective presented by the sender.

TYPES OF LISTENING4. Sensitive listening: Sensitive and empathetic are two

terms which, when used for listening can be understood as synonyms.

o Here the receiver is able to understand the viewpoint of the speaker in exactly the same terms as intended.

o It is a myth to presume that words always mean the same to everyone because the meanings assigned to spoken words lie in our perceptions, and not in words.

o Instance of PLC.o In sensitive or empathetic listening, an attempt is

made to decipher the meaning of the statement in relation to the perceptions and experiences of the sender.

TYPES OF LISTENING………….It is not a easy task, especially if the sender is a

new person about whom little or nothing is known.o To understand the message in a more meaningful

way, it is necessary for the receiver to raise queries.o Sensitive listening, however, is not a very useful

tool for enhancing communication.o J Krishnamurti remarked: “so when you are

listening to somebody, completely, attentively, you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it”.

TYPES OF LISTENING5. Active listening: In this form of listening, the receiver

absorbs all that is being said and also makes an attempt to verify all that has been said.

o It is a well-researched fact that listening can never completely take place in accordance with the communicative intent of the speaker.

o However, we can postulate that a combination of active and empathetic listening is the perfect or ideal form of listening.

o Active listening is not solely a product of the capabilities of the listener.

Warning: Listeners can actively stay tuned to a presentation only if the communication style is impressive and the content thought-provoking.

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER Listening skills can be improved with conscious

effort. Lets see the differences between good listener and bad listener.

TO LISTEN EFFECTIVELY THE BAD LISTENER THE GOOD LISTENER

1. Find areas of interest Tunes out dry subjects Asks, “what is in it for me?”

2. Judge content, not delivery

Tunes out if delivery is poor Judges content; skips over delivery error

3. Hold your fire Tends to enter into argument

Doesn’t judge until comprehension is complete; interrupts only to clarify.

4. Listen for ideas Listens for facts Listens for central themes.

5. Work at listening Shows no energy output; fakes attention

Works hard; exhibits active body state

6. Resist distractions Is distracted easily Fights or avoids distractions; tolerates bad habits; knows how to focus.

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER

Lets now look at some of the specific steps we can take to become a better listener.

1. Be motivated to listen: Researchers have concluded that the more motivated a listener is, the more active and alert he becomes as a receiver.

• This is the first prerequisite to becoming a good listener.

TO LISTEN EFFECTIVELY THE BAD LISTENER THE GOOD LISTENER

7. Exercise your mind Resists difficult expository material; seeks light, recreational material

Uses heavier material as exercise for the mind.

8. Keep your mind open Reacts to emotional words

Interprets emotional words; doesn’t get hung up on them.

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER2. Be prepared to listen: Sometimes we need to

make preparations beforehand in order to listen effectively.

• It is helpful to gather as much information as you can about the subject, the speaker and the solution.

• Preparation also includes attempts to minimize physiological barriers and elimination of distractions.

3. Be objective: You are more receptive to a message when you approach it with an open mind.

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER• To be objective, one must avoid jumping to

conclusions.• Objective listening entails a conscious effort to keep

our emotions and prejudices at bay.4. Be alert to all cues: look for the speaker’s main

ideas.• The speaker’s voice quality, inflection, emphasis and

body movement offer vital clues to what the speaker feels.

• These clues also gives you insights into the emotional content of the speaker’s message, which must be considered for better understanding.

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER5. Make good use of the thinking-speaking time

difference: • If you are a listener you can use this gap to your

advantage by mentally summarizing and reviewing what the speaker has said.

6. Use feedback: is one way you can get more from your communication encounters.

• Feedback may be as simple as telling the sender that you don’t understand.

• Use this technique prudently.

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER7. Practice Listening: Proficiency in listening like in any

other skill, is the result of conscious effort.• Many of the barriers to effective listening can be

successfully overcome through practice.• Force yourself to listen to speeches and lectures that

seem to hold no obvious interest value.• You will not “switch off” when the message sounds

difficult.8. Use verbal and nonverbal cues to encourage the

speaker:• Sometimes nodding the head slightly or casual

remarks like “I see” can tell the speaker that you are actively involved.