LISTENING CHAPTER 4 MS MOLEYA Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to: Understand the important role listening plays in the communication process Distinguish between hearing and listening Understand the processes involved in listening Understand the different listening techniques and when to use them Apply different listening strategies Control the listening situation. The importance of listening Research shows that people listen at only 25 % of their potential (Bone,1988:5. People are not trained in effective listening skills, because it is assumed that as listening is natural, it does not need to be learnt. Effective listening is an invaluable skill, which can be learnt and be improved. Students spend a lot of their time listening to lectures, instructions, discussions and presentation, therefore, good listening is important. The skill will help when taking notes and remembering. Continues….. Workers are involved in many activities that require listening, such as meetings, decision-making, and problem-solving. Good listeners are productive workers who are valued by organizations, because they are good at problem-solving and remembering, and have good interpersonal skills. The difference between hearing and listening These two concepts are different and should not be confused. Hearing Hearing is passive, and entails sound waves stimulating the sensory receptors of the ear. Most people are born with the ability to hear, but this is only one part of the listening process. Listening Listening is an active process, which requires a purposeful and systematic response to messages. Stages in the listening process From Message Source to listener External interference Internal interference Hearing (Sound Waves) Attention (Selective attending to sounds) Understanding (interpreting & evaluating meaning) Remembering (Storage of meaning) Responding (Feedback to source) Elements of the listening process External interference: Physical barriers that can disturb the listener from hearing the message. E,g Noise, stuffy lecture hall, a strong wind e.t.c Internal interference: These factors are experienced internally by the listener, these are physiological, psychological, perceptual language e.tc, E.g stress, tiredness, anger e.t.c Hearing (stage 1): It occurs when sound waves are received. At this point, you cannot make sense of what is heard. Attention (stage 2): In this stage, the listener begins to focus on what is being said and how it is said. The brain selects only a few stimuli out of the mass of stimuli presented. Continues…. Understanding (stage 3): Here the message is analyzed and interpreted for meaning. The verbal and non-verbal codes are interpreted. Understanding the message determines the response the listener will give. Remembering (stage 4): This happens when the message is stored for later recall Responding (stage 5):This is when the listener response to the speaker. The response shows the listener’s understanding of, and feelings about, the message. The speaker sees whether the message was understood as intended, or whether it should be restated or clarified. Deliberate and Empathic Listening 1. Effective listeners make use of two main listening types: Deliberate listening: It focuses on information and facts. This is an active process where you seek to understand and analyse information. Eg listening to a lecture, meeting or when receiving instructions. Mental listening strategies Recall what you know about the topic to be discussed Use time-tags between speech and comprehension speed to analyse what the speaker is saying. You can do that by: Continues… Listen for the main ideas Focus only on important facts Separate fact from opinion Become aware of any biases (taking sides) of the speaker. Make mental summaries Ask yourself questions such as ‘what is the main point’, ‘what are the objectives of the lecture’ Remain objective and open-minded: Focus on what the speaker is saying, do not allow your emotions to become involved, and avoid jumping to conclusions. Active Listening strategies Take notes to help you recall later. Ask questions to: Check your understanding of the main ideas Obtain clarity Challenge the point the speaker has made Gain a deeper understanding of the issues Focus on what is being said, not the way it was said (accent) Strategies for connecting with the speaker Maintain eye contact with the speaker Avoid talking, looking away or fidgeting, because it distracts and undermines the speaker. Empathic Listening Empathic listening It focuses on feelings and emotions. Often listeners use a combination of both types of listening. It involves listening in order to understand the feelings of the speaker. The word empathic comes from the empathy, which means to place yourself in another person’s shoes, or to see the world as the person sees it. It is non-judgmental. This is when a friend talks to another friend. Ways to improve empathic listening skills Use non-verbal codes appropriate to you cultural background: Nod or shake your head where appropriate Maintain eye contact to show interest Your facial expression must complement the feeling conveyed Maintain close personal distance Lean towards the person to signal your interest Use a gesture, such as touch on the elbow or shoulder, when appropriate Continues….. Do not interrupt the speaker mid-sentence/while talking. Do not allow yourself to be destructed. Do not look at the person’s situation from your own frame of reference/ compare your previous experience to his/hers. Do not give advice unless asked to do so. Paraphrase what the person has said to find out whether your interpretation is accurate. Summarise the key ideas Ask questions if you need clarification Do not analyse or evaluate the message Controlling the listening situation An active listener takes control f the listening situation. When a friend calls and you are not available immediately, you can tell them to call at an appropriate time rather than dismissing them instantly. Stop a long winding speaker by asking questions like: ‘what happened next?, ‘you mean….. This will encourage the speaker to move on to the next point. REFERENCES Cleary, S.(2014). Communication: A hands-on Approach.2nd Edition. Lansdowne: Juta & Co.Ltd.
