Graduate Attributes: Communication Listening Food for thought • ‘Talking is power’ • ‘Listening is caring’ • ‘I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.’- Ernest Hemingway By the end of this session we will have… • Tried to define what effective listening means and reflected on different ways effective listening can help us now and after we graduate • Discussed how (or whether!) the wider context impacts on our ability to listen • Identified and discussed potential barriers to listening (’listening killers’), • Identified personal objectives for the development of listening skill as part of our Graduate Attributes development Listening: what is it? • Working in pairs or small groups, try to define what listening is • Why is effective listening an important skill for a university student AND a graduate? In small groups, think of at least 6 reasons. You may refer to the university experience as a whole and your specific discipline • Put your ideas into the inner circle of your ‘listening model’ sheet Some definitions: • To listen: “Give one’s attention to a sound: take notice of and act on what someone says; respond to advice or a request; (listen for or listen out for) make an effort to hear something; be alert and ready to hear something” (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/listen) • ‘a process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages” (Bentley and Bacon 1996, p.1, definition accepted by the International Listening Association) • What is the difference between listening and hearing? The wider context • Think of the context of the world we live in (our personal life, work, study): how do we communicate, what are the main issues, challenges? • Working in a small group (preferably 4), fill the outer circle with key words and phrases that describe this context Reflection • Does the context impact on our ability to listen well? To what extent? Your own experience • Think of a situation when you were truly listened to. How did you feel? How did you know you were listened to? • Think of an opposite situation: you were not listened to. How did you feel? How could you tell? • What could have been done to improve this situation? Levels of listening • How can our listening evolve and become deeper? Briefly discussing in pairs, try to identify and jot down listening ‘levels’ from the most ‘surface’ one to a ‘deep’ one • Compare and discuss your ideas with the pair sitting closest to you Let’s practise! Barriers to listening or listening ‘killers’ • What are the potential barriers to effective listening? • What are ‘filters’? When listening, have you ever been… • • • • • • • A mind reader? A rehearser? A filterer? A dreamer? An identifier? A comparer? Other?... What have I learned? 1. Look back at your initial expectations 2. How will you apply the learning from this session? (academic study, work/career, social/community engagement?) 3. What else would you like to learn or/and know? Useful links • Julian Treasure, 5 ways to listen better, speaking at TED conference, Edinburgh, Scotland: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSohjlYQI2A • Listening and interpersonal skills tutorial http://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/working-with-others/listening-andinterpersonal-skills/listening-and-interpersonal-skills-tutorial/