Learning to Listen
Overview
• What is the difference between listening and hearing?
• What are the types of listening?
• Why is listening important?
• What are some myths about listening?
• What are some bad listening habits?
• What are steps for practicing effective listening
techniques?
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Quick Write
Stop for a moment.
What do you hear?
Think you can’t hear anything?
Listen more closely!
• Concentrate on anything you can hear—no matter
how small the sound.
• Write down a description of five things you hear.
• Then share your list with a few classmates.
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
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Hearing Versus Listening
• Hearing is continual, unfocused and
unconscious
• Listening is a focused, conscious activity
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
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Time Spent Listening
Each hour people are awake they spend
50 minutes communicating:
15 minutes reading or writing
10 minutes talking
25 minutes listening
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Types of Listening
Passive
One-way, no feedback
Competitive
Receiver only listens to
needed information
Active
Two-way, feedback given
Reflective
Receiver interprets speaker’s
feelings
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Importance of Listening
•
•
•
•
Failure to listen to your teacher’s instructions
could get you in trouble
Failure to listen in class could
result in a poor grade
Failure to listen to your friends
could hurt someone’s feelings
Failure to hear a car come around the corner
when crossing the street could get you
seriously hurt Chapter 1, Lesson 2
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How Important Is
Active Listening?
Name some situations and professions
in which listening is vital. How might a
failure to listen well result in
danger or harm?
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Busting Listening Myths
• Myth #1: Listening is not my problem
People falsely assume listening is easy
• Myth #2: Listening and hearing are the same
Listening must interpret sounds you hear
• Myth #3: Good readers are good listeners
Little correlation between reading and listening;
even good readers need to work on it
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Busting Listening Myths
• Myth #4: Smart people are better listeners
Smarter students have the capacity for better
listening, but that potential is often not realized
• Myth #5: Listening improves with age
Ability to listen well does improve, but performance
actually declines with age
• Myth #6: Listening skills are hard to learn
It takes practice and effort, but the skills are not hard
to learn
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Bad Listening Habits
• Bad Habit #1: Thinking about what to say
rather than listening to speaker
• Bad Habit #2: Talking when you should be
listening
• Bad Habit #3: Interrupting
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Bad Listening Habits
• Bad Habit #4: Listening for what you expect
to hear rather than what is actually said
• Bad Habit #5: Being preoccupied
• Bad Habit #6: Falling victim to tendency to
stereotype
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Bad Listening Habits
• Bad Habit #7: Being self-centered
• Bad Habit #8: Not paying attention
All other bad habits stem from this one, because you
must be paying attention to listen effectively
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
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Practicing Effective Listening
• Clarify
Ask specific questions—good feedback
clarifies
• Restate, paraphrase, or repeat back
Repeating what the speaker said is a good
way to ensure you got the right message
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Practicing Effective Listening
• Acknowledging
Let the speaker know that you understood
the message—this doesn’t mean you have
to agree
• Summarizing
Highlight the main points you noted during
the conversation
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Effective Listening
• Framing
Framing gives you a chance to find areas of
agreement on which to focus
• Note taking
Don’t write down every word! Jot down key
phrases, words, or diagrams that will help you
recall main points
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
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Review
• Hearing is continual, unfocused, and
unconscious, whereas listening is focused,
conscious, and active
• Listening can be:
–
–
–
–
passive
competitive
active
reflective
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Review
• Failing to listen can be dangerous
• There are six myths about listening that
people often believe
• Failing to pay attention is a bad listening
habit—and all other bad listening habits
stem from it
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Review
• To improve your listening, try some of
these techniques:
–
–
–
–
–
–
clarifying
restating, paraphrasing, or “mirroring”
acknowledging
summarizing
framing
and note taking
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Summary
•
What is the difference between listening and
hearing?
•
What are the types of listening?
•
Why is listening important?
•
What are some myths about listening?
•
What are some bad listening habits?
•
What are steps for practicing good listening
skills?
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
Next
• Done—effective listening
• Next—we’ll learn about critical thinking
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
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