MODULE: (ENG01) – PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION CHAPTER 9 - THE NATURE AND PROCESS OF LISTENING A. Explain the nature of listening; B. Tell the importance of listening in communication C. Practice interpersonal through active reading/listening and critical thinking on social media. THE NATURE OF LISTENING Listening is not the same as hearing Hearing is a physiological process that does not require effort, which means that it is automatic. When sound waves enter our ears and are transmitted to our brains, considering we have no ear injuries or hearing problems, we hear sounds inevitably. Listening, on the other hand, requires meaning construction. We assign meaning to the sounds we hear. Listening involves paying attention, interpreting the message, and responding. When we listen, we also send nonverbal messages such as nodding, showing appropriate facial expressions, or just maintaining eye contact to indicate that we understand the speaker’s message. You may hear someone speak but not listen to what he or she says. For instance, when you already heard a friend tell the same joke a number of times, you no longer give the same amount of attention you did when you first listened to it. Sometimes you hear your teacher speak but you do not have any idea what he or she is talking about. Your father may be scolding you but you are tuning out what he is saying. Listening is a skill that can be improved Often, we think that listening is a natural process that is as easy as breathing. At school, we are taught how to read, write, and speak properly, but seldom are we taught how to listen. This is because MODULE: (ENG01) – PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION everyone can listen even without proper training or instruction; however, not all people are naturally good listeners. One may develop listening skills through studying and practice. Listening requires conscious effort A listener is not just a passive receiver of the message. Listening is a complicated process that is composed of three stages (Brooks, 1993). This includes hearing or the reception of sounds, recognizing patterns or the association of sounds to one’s experiences or schematic knowledge, and auditing or the formulation of response after assigning meaning to the message. The assignment of meaning may be facilitated by the following skills: indexing or evaluating the level of importance of the information, making comparisons, sequencing, forming impressions, and appreciating. In order to avoid misunderstanding, a listener must be able to identify and focus on, the important parts of the message, construct meaning out of the message, and remember or retain some of the information transmitted. Listening does not guarantee to receive the same message. Listeners may interpret the same message in different ways. People perceive phenomena differently and make sense of messages depending on their previous experiences, interests, beliefs, attitudes, and roles in society. Someone who may not be feeling well will have difficulty in comprehending a message. Other factors that are not within the listener also affect the interpretation of the message. For instance, a student who sits at the farthest corner of the room may have a different understanding of the message compared to someone sitting in the front row. What is Listening? • • • • • • Listening is not just about being Quiet while someone else is speaking. Listening is with the Mind. Hearing with the senses. Listening is conscious. To improve our interpersonal & oral exchange Note: Just Listening to words is not enough; a good Listener has to pay attention to the non-verbal communication of the speaker. MODULE: (ENG01) – PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Process of Listening Receiving • • It is the intentional focus on hearing a speaker’s message. This stage is represented by the ear because it is the primary tool involved with this stage of the listening process. Understanding • • In the understanding stage, we attempt to learn the meaning of the message, which is not always easy. Deciding what the message means to you. Remembering • • Remembering begins with listening; if you can’t remember something that was said, you might not have been listening effectively. However, even when you are listening attentively, some messages are more difficult than others to understand and remember. Highly complex messages that are filled with detail call for highly developed listening skills MODULE: (ENG01) – PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Evaluating • • • The fourth stage in the listening process is evaluating. Evaluations of the same message can vary widely from one listener to another. Stages two, three, and four are represented by the brain because it is the primary tool involved in these stages of the listening process. Responding • • • • Responding—sometimes referred to as feedback—is the fifth and final stage of the listening process. Your reaction to the message. It can be emotional and intellectual For example, you are giving positive feedback to your instructor if at the end of class, you stay behind to finish a sentence in your notes or approach the instructor to ask for clarification. The opposite kind of feedback is given by students who gather their belongings and rush out the door as soon as class is over. This stage is represented by the lips because we often give feedback in the form of verbal feedback; however, you can just as easily respond nonverbally. Models of Listening There are three basic listening models, each of which reflects upon the various ways that the person who is doing the listening may be feeling. You may use all three of these listening models at one point or another, depending upon whom you are listening to, what the conversation is about, and even what type of mood you are in. Here are the three basic listening models: 1. Competitive or combative listening: This is the type of listening that is done when people want to push their own type of view or opinion rather than listen to someone else's. With this type of listening, we mostly are waiting to jump in and say something or point out flaws in what the other person is saying. We pretend that we are listening when really, we are formulating our own ideas and just waiting for the person to break so we can blurt them out. The downside is that we fail to actually take in what the other person is saying and have closed our minds, which is a barrier to good listening. MODULE: (ENG01) – PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION 2. Passive, attentive listening: In this type of listening, we are genuinely interested in what the person is saying. At this point, we are not yet at the point of responding and being involved, but we understand the points that the speaker is trying to make. We may agree with what is being said, but we are doing so in a passive manner, rather than in a reflective one. 3. Active, reflective listening: This is the type of listening model that you want to use. In this model, you actively listen and understand what the other person is saying. Here, we listen to what the other person has to say before we try to interject what we would like to share. In this model, you restate or share back information with the speaker, showing that you are paying attention and actively involved. https://www.uj.edu.sa/Files/1001210/Subjects/Chapter%205%20Listening%20Skills%20%20.pdf https://www.elcomblus.com/the-nature-of-listening/
