Listening: More Than Meets
the Ear
Chapter Summary
•Listening Defined
•Elements in the Listening Process
•The Challenge of Listening
•Types of Listening Responses
•Communicating about Relationships
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Listening: More than Meets
the Ear
Listening
•Listening is the most
frequent form of
communication.
•Listening has been
identified as one of the
most necessary skills in
the business world.
Looking Out, Looking In
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FIGURE 7.1
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Listening Defined
Hearing vs. Listening
•Hearing
•The process of sound ways striking the eardrum and causing
vibrations
•Listening
•Occurs when the brain reconstructs these electrochemical
impulses and then gives them meaning
•You can hear without listening.
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Listening Defined
Hearing vs. Listening
•Mindless Listening
•Occurs when we react to others messages automatically
• Though the term mindless may sound negative, this type of
low level processing allows our brains to focus on greater tasks.
•Mindful Listening
•Involves giving careful and thoughtful attention to the
messages we receive
•Sometimes we respond mindlessly to information that needs
our mindful attention
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The Listening Process
The Listening Process
•The Five Steps of the Listening Process are:
•Hearing
•Attending
•Understanding
•Responding
•Remembering
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The Listening Process
Hearing
•The physical process of the reverberation of sounds
•Hearing is influenced by many factors:
•Fatigue
•Temporary hearing loss
•More than 13 million people communicate with some
sort of hearing impairment.
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The Listening Process
Attending
•The psychological process of selecting what gets through
•We would go crazy if we attempted to attend to every
message.
•Needs, wants, desires and interests determine what is
attended to.
•Research shows that we pay closer attention to those messages
we’re interested in.
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The Listening Process
Understanding
•Occurs when we make sense of a message
•It is possible to hear and attend messages without
understanding them at all.
•Someone speaking a foreign language to you may have
your complete attention without your comprehension.
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The Listening Process
Responding
•Consists of giving the speaker observable feedback
•Good listeners show they’re attentive through nonverbal
gestures, such as eye contact and nodding.
•Listening is not a passive activity.
•We send messages at the same time we receive them.
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The Listening Process
Remembering
•The ability to recall information
•Remember 50% of what we hear immediately after hearing it
•Remember 35% within 8 hours
•Remember 25% of the original message after two months
•Residual Message
•What we remember from the original message
•There are ways to improve your retention.
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The Challenge of Listening
Types of Ineffective Listening
•Pseudolistening
•An imitation of the listening process
•Pseudolisteners give the appearance of being attentive.
•Pseudolistening can often take more energy than real listening.
•Stage-hogging
•Turning the conversation to yourself
•Also known as “one-uppers”
•“You think your class is tough, let me tell you about mine.”
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The Challenge of Listening
Types of Ineffective Listening
•Selective Listening
•Responding only to parts that are of interest to you
•Selective listening can be legitimate:
•Commercials
•Insulated Listening
•Avoiding information
•When a topic arises that the insulated listener doesn’t want to
hear, the listener simply avoids it all together.
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The Challenge of Listening
Types of Ineffective Listening
•Defensive Listening
•Taking another’s remarks as personal attacks
•Ambushing
•The listener who pays close attention but only to collect
information they’ll use against you in an attack later
•Insensitive Listening
•Responding to the superficial content and not the emotional
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The Challenge of Listening
Why We Don’t Listen Better
•Message Overload
•The amount of speech encountered makes it nearly impossible
to listen carefully to everything.
•Preoccupation
•Personal concerns tend to take precedence.
•It’s difficult to listen when you’re worried about other things.
•Rapid Thought
•We’re capable of understanding 600 words per minute.
•The average person speaks 100-150 words per minute.
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The Challenge of Listening
Why We Don’t Listen Better
•Effort
•Listening is hard work.
•If you’re tired, listening can be problematic.
•External Noise
•Outside distractions can be difficult to ignore.
•Even temperature can be a cause of poor listening.
•Faulty Assumptions
•We tend to believe we’re listening attentively when we’re not.
•When a subject is familiar it is easy to tune out.
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The Challenge of Listening
Why We Don’t Listen Better
•Lack of Apparent Advantages
•Though not true, it seems that there is more to gain by
speaking rather than listening.
•Hearing Problems
•Physical problems can disrupt the listening process.
•Media Influence
•Influence of the media also plays a role in our listening habits.
•Short segments included in television (CNN, MTV, Adult Swim)
are cause for shorter attention spans.
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The Challenge of Listening
Why We Don’t Listen Better
•Lack of Training
•Believing you’re a good listener does not mean you are.
•Listening takes practice.
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The Challenge of Listening
The Challenge of Listening Better
•Talk Less
•If you want to understand, avoid hogging the stage.
•Get Rid of Distractions
•External noise can be difficult to control.
•Internal noise can be under your influence.
•Don’t Judge Prematurely
•Look for Key Ideas
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Types of Listening Responses
Prompting
Pablo: Julie’s dad is selling a complete computer system for only $600, but if I
want it I have to buy it now. He’s got another interested buyer. It’s a great deal. But
buying it would wipe out my savings. At the rate I spend money, it would take me a
year to save up this much again.
Tim: Uh-huh. (Prompting)
Pablo: I wouldn’t be able to take that ski trip over winter break . . . but I sure
could save time with my schoolwork . . . and do a better job, too.
Tim: That’s for sure. (Prompting)
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Types of Listening Responses
Questioning
•Sincere Questions
•Are aimed at understanding others
•Counterfeit Questions
•Are aimed at sending a message, not receiving one
•Examples:
•Questions that trap the speaker
•Questions that make a statement
•Questions that carry a hidden agenda
•Questions based on unchecked assumptions
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Types of Listening Responses
Paraphrasing
•A summary of what you think the speaker is saying
Speaker: I’d like to go, but I can’t afford it.
Paraphrasing: So if we could find a way to pay for you, you’d be
willing come. Is that right?
•Two Levels
•Paraphrase Factual Information
•Paraphrase Personal Information
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Types of Listening Responses
Paraphrasing
•Several factors to consider before paraphrasing
•Is the issue complex enough?
•Do you have the necessary time and concern?
•Can you withhold judgment?
•Is your paraphrasing in proportion to other responses?
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Types of Listening Responses
Supporting
•Supporting responses reveal a listener’s solidarity with the
speaker’s situation:
Empathizing “I can understand why you’d be upset about this.”
“Yeah, that class was tough for me, too.”
Agreement “You’re right—the landlord is being unfair.”
“Sounds like the job is a perfect match for you.”
Praise “Wow—you did a fantastic job!”
“You’re a terrific person, and if she doesn’t recognize it,
that’s her problem!”
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Types of Listening Responses
Supporting
•You’re probably not being supportive if . . .
•You deny others the right to their feelings
•You minimize the significance of the situation
•You focus on “then and there” rather than the “hear and now”
•You cast judgment
•You defend yourself
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Types of Listening Responses
Analyzing
•A listener offers interpretation of the speaker’s comments
•Guidelines to follow:
•Offer you interpretation as tentative rather than factual.
•Your analysis ought to have a reasonable chance of being
correct.
•Be sure that the other person will be receptive.
•Be sure your motive is to help the other person.
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Types of Listening Responses
Advising
•Offering the speaker our opinion on solving the problem
•Before advising be sure four conditions are present:
•Be confident that the advice is accurate.
•Ask yourself if the person seeking your advice will accept it.
•Be confident that the receiver won’t blame you if it doesn’t work.
•Deliver your advice supportively, in a face saving manner.
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Types of Listening Responses
Judging
•A judging response evaluates the speaker's behavior
•Constructive Criticism
•Use to help the problem-holder improve in the future
•Judgments are best received when two conditions exist:
•The person with the problem requests your help
•The intent of you judgment is genuinely constructive and not
designed as a put-down.
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Types of Listening Responses
The Best Listening Responses
•Gender
•Choose a response style designed for the other person.
•The Situation
•People do not always need your advice. Sometimes just listen.
•The Other Person
•Remember who you’re talking with, and tailor your responses.
•Your Personal Style
•Consider yourself when responding.
•Take into account your strengths and weaknesses.
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Listening: More Than Meets
the Ear
Chapter Summary
•Listening Defined
•Elements in the Listening Process
•The Challenge of Listening
•Types of Listening Responses
•Communicating about Relationships
Looking Out, Looking In
12th Edition
29