ART OF LISTENING
LISTENING
“Nature gave humans two ears but only
one tongue, which is a gentle hint that they
should listen more than they talk.”
 Robert Frost says: “Half the world is
composed of people who have something
to say and cant, and the other half who
have nothing to say and keep on saying
it”.

LISTENING
It is the ability to understand and respond
effectively to oral communication.
 The basic principle of effective listening is
that unless the listener pays attention, has
concentration, and is seriously concerned
with the subject, he cannot understand the
message of the speech.

Listening is a conscious, positive act
requiring will power.
 Active listening is “to listen to a person
without passing judgment on what is being
said, and to mirror back what has been
said to indicate that you understood what
feelings the speaker was putting across.”

HEARING vs. LISTENING
Hearing is picking up sound vibrations,
whereas listening is making a sense or
meaning out of what people hear.
 Hearing is a physical process, and
listening a mental one.
 Hearing is passive, listening is active.
 Hearing is with the mind, and listening is
with ears.

NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF
LISTENING:
Listening is an art, a fine art. A patient and
attentive listening is a compliment to the
speaker.
 is the kingpin in the entire communication
process, to whom actually the message is
meant to understand, interpret correctly
and to act accordingly.
 Effective and true communication is
greatly dependent on the receptive side.

Clear listening is necessary when
information is transmitted. Poor listening
may lead to gaps, conflicts and
resentment.
 It requires patience, presence of mind,
interest and attitude.
 Listening is not a trait, but a skill, which
can be taught, trained and improved.

Reasons for poor listening:
Lack of clarity
 Jargon
 Lack of unity
 Speed
 Distractions

COMMON FAULTS OF
LISTENING:
Prejudice against the speaker
 Rehearsing
 Judging negatively
 Identifying
 Advising
 Sparring or Rebuttal instinct
 Being right

Derailing
 Placate
 Dreaming or Wandering mind
 Thinking speed
 Premature evaluation
 Semantic stereotypes
 Delivery
 External distractions

BARRIERS IN LISTENING:
Distractions of mind
 Lack of motivation
 Jumbled and mumbled words
 Listening only for words
 Taking notes
 False listening or Pseudo Listening
 Monologue attitude

Selective listening
 Listening defensively
 Deaf spots or emotional blocks
 Closed mindedness
 Lack of interest

BAD LISTENING HABITS:
Calling the subject uninteresting
 Tuning the speaker out because of his
delivery
 Getting over stimulated
 Faking attentiveness
 Allowing distractions to creep in
 Tuning out difficult or technical
presentations

BEHAVIOURAL REASONS:
Listening attitudes in early life
 Influence of parental models
 Powerless and submissive behavior
 Defense mechanism
 Practice of resistance

ERRORS IMPEDING
UNDERSTANDING:
Length of message
 Middle of the message
 Round off
 Hearing what one expects to hear
 Filtered listening

WHO IS A GOOD LISTENER?
Looks at the speaker while he is speaking
 Seeks clarifications by asking questions
 Repeats some of the things
 Does not rush
 Has poise and is emotionally controlled
 Reacts with a nod, a frown or a smile
 Does not interrupt
 Pays close attention

PRINCIPLES FOR GOOD
LISTENING:
Listen patiently
 Understanding speaker’s feeling
 Restatement and summary
 Avoid expressing views
 Less explanation
 Rapport

GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE
LISTENING:
Eye contact
 Bodily exhibitions
 Avoid distracting actions or gestures
 Ask questions
 Paraphrase
 Avoid interpreting speaker
 Do not overtake
 Put the speaker at ease

Listen patiently
 Avoid premature arguments
 Stay objective
 Avoid mental rebuttals
 Remove distractions
 Indicate acceptance
 Hold your temper
 Respect pauses or silence

Be honest with answer
 Listen between the lines
 Have an open mind
 Listen to total meaning
 Observe non verbal cues
 Avoid fake attention
 No personal bias

TYPES OF LISTENING:
Marginal listening- listener has capacity to
listen four times faster than someone can
talk. So they use the extra time available
to think about other matters.
 Evaluative listening- while listening to a
message, they spare time and think to
judge and evaluate what is said by
speaker, and sometimes forms rebuttals to
it.

Projective listening- it is a process to
observe and understand what is said and
to assimilate the viewpoint of the speaker.
 Active listening- also called emphatic
listening. It consists of without passing
judgment and to mirror back on what is
being said.
 Passive listening

Deliberate listening- when it is intended to
comprehend the content of the message
and to understand the feeling and context
in which the communication is taking
place.
 Fake listening- fixing their eyes on the
speaker and try to project themselves as
good listeners. They usually miss
important points.

LISTENING PROCESS

1.
2.
3.
4.
Awareness: it involves getting the
attention of the audience so that they will
listen. Listeners should:
Look for area of interest
Look for benefits, a need fulfillment or an
objective
Look for new ideas
Note non verbal cues
Reception: it is physical hearing with
attention that precedes listening. Sound
waves receive the attention of the
listener for interpretation and perception.
To be receptive:
1. Concentrate on ideas
2. Non verbal cues
3. Avoid mind wandering
4. Adjusting listening pace

Perception: is the perceiving and
understanding of the message. Depends
upon factors like knowledge, age, emotion,
experience, attitude, values, etc.
The act of perception depends upon
interpretation – the process of attribution
of meanings which requires logical
reasoning and analysis of data.

TYPES OF LISTENERS:

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
The Sleeper:
has no intention of listening
Is irritated if there are disturbances
Eyes are closed as he sits, or reclines in
his seat.
Seeks a restful haven in a relatively
corner place.

(a)
(b)
(c)
Eager Beaver:
keeps smiling and nodding
Eyes have a strange, out of focus
appearance
Energies are directed to impress the
speaker with what a good listener he or
she is.

(a)
(b)
(c)
The Tiger:
Is ready to pounce on everything what
speaker says
Is occupied with looking for trouble
Has a crouching position, leaning
forward and eyes flashing

(a)
(b)
The Shy, Bewildered:
Has never quite found out what the
lecture is all about
Pained, quizzical glances from him are a
constant reminder to the speaker that he
has to go slowly, repeating and
reinforcing information.

(a)
(b)
(c)
The Frowner:
His forehead has a perpetual furrow
He seems to be always on the verge of a
question
His expression is an accurate reflection
of his state of mind

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
The Relaxed:
Stares fixedly at some object or person
There is little tension in them
There are no visible means of reading
them
Never seems to react to anything
Is a real problem for the speaker

(a)
(b)
(c)
The Busy bee:
Listens and impresses by writing notes,
talking to neighbors, combing hair, etc.
Not a listener in a true sense, but is a
potential audience
Will motivate the speaker causing him to
try various devices to capture their
attention

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
Two eared listener:
Listens with ears and mind
Actively participates
Reacts objectively
Decodes and evaluates carefully
Eagerness is reflected in body posture
Face reflects agreement, disagreement,
interest, question, approval resulting from
thoughtful, objective consideration of
messages.