TESOL – Unit 1: Language Characteristics
Listening Barriers
The results of ineffective listening can be significant. An employee who does not listen
effectively to his manager's instructions can cost the company thousands of dollars in lost
work-hours. A husband who fails to recognize that his wife needs support and responds only
with criticism can cause her emotional pain. A student who fails to pay close attention to her
teacher can hurt her grade point average and miss skills that may be necessary in the future.
Effective listening requires effort and diligence. As previously discussed, listening is not a
passive activity. It takes energy to select, understand, and respond appropriately to messages.
Effective listening is a learned skill, not one that develops naturally.
Listening barriers can affect all aspects of the listening process. The key to becoming a more
competent listener is recognizing and overcoming listening barriers. We will examine six
common listening barriers and how to overcome them:
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environmental distractions
information overload
daydreaming
overconfidence
inaccurate perceptions
non-listening behaviors
Objectives
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Identify and demonstrate specific kinds of listening such as critical, informational
(deliberative) and, empathic types.
Common Barriers
Environmental distractions. Environmental distractions include noise, temperature, air
quality, and physical well-being. The sound of a siren or a baby crying can make it difficult
to pay close attention to what a speaker is saying. Extreme temperatures or a room filled with
cigarette smoke might also distract our attention. The easiest way to deal with environmental
distractions is to remove them or move away from them. If the loud conversation in a
restaurant makes it difficult to concentrate on the speaker, moving to another table or outside
the restaurant might help.
Information overload. Information overload occurs when a person receives more information
than he can handle at one time. The problem occurs most frequently in academic settings
when large amounts of information are presented in small amounts of time. For instance, a
detailed two-hour lecture on the anatomy of the human brain would overload many listeners.
Sometimes multiple information sources can contribute to information overload. For
example, a parent might not know who to listen to first when her children all talk at once in
an attempt to recount an incident.
Information overload can be reduced by focusing attention on one source for limited amounts
of time. The mother who insists that her children take turns talking or the teacher who breaks
up a lecture into smaller bites can both help lessen
the possibility of information overload.
Daydreaming. Daydreaming is a common barrier to
effective listening. We've all allowed personal
concerns or preoccupations to distract us from
listening attentively to a friend, teacher, or family
member. When a speaker starts to talk about things
that don't interest us or says something that triggers
another thought in our minds, we begin to think of
other concerns such as an upcoming test, an outing
with friends, or a favorite television show.
Daydreaming is necessary at times. It allows us to
relax and reflect on recent events. For some people,
it is a creative or problem-solving time. However, it
is not good to daydream while a friend pours her
heart out, while attending a lecture, or while we are
being given instructions. Daydreaming can be
avoided by focusing on what the speaker is saying. Aids to focusing include direct eye
contact with the speaker and positive verbal feedback such as paraphrasing and questioning.
Overconfidence. Listening requires effort, unlike its passive counterpart, hearing. If you view
listening as an easy exercise rather than a strong effort involving understanding, evaluation,
and recall, you will merely hear, not listen. Assuming that you already know what the speaker
has to say can make you a poor listener as well. Avoid an overconfident attitude by
considering every opportunity to listen as an opportunity to learn something new. Listen
attentively to everything that the speaker has to say and try to retain as much as possible.
Taking notes is an effective way to stay focused and reinforce the key points of the speaker.
Inaccurate perceptions. Listening and perception are two sides of the same coin. Both enable
us to understand and interpret verbal messages. Furthermore, the way we perceive someone
will have an effect on the way we listen. For example, many people don't listen very closely
to people whom they perceive as talkative, whereas someone speaking softly draws their
attention.
Our perception of someone can also affect what we hear. If we believe that all politicians are
against programs for the disadvantaged, we might not hear a senator say that he is proposing
more federal spending for the homeless. We will listen more effectively if we keep an open
mind and suspend judgment until the speaker is finished.
Non-listening behaviors. Non-listening behaviors are habits that limit our ability to listen
effectively.
Pseudo-listening is the most common form of non-listening. When we pseudo-listen, we are
pretending to be listening, but we are thinking of other things. Pseudo-listeners mask their
inattention by giving seemingly positive nonverbal feedback. They might nod their heads,
make direct eye contact, and even maintain an alert posture. Pseudo-listening may be avoided
by focusing on the speaker's message and eliminating or ignoring any distractions.
Monopolizing is another form of non-listening. Monopolizing is also known as "hogging the
stage." Stage hogs interrupt other speakers in order to focus the conversation on themselves.
Monopolizing reflects a lack of concern for other people. To avoid falling into the habit of
monopolizing, monitor how often you interrupt and why. Not all interruptions are an attempt
to monopolize the conversation; however, if a person's interruptions frequently begin with
phrases such as, "When I was in the..." or "In my experiences..." or "If you ask me...," he or
she might be a "stage hog."
Selective listening is sometimes necessary in order to listen effectively. For instance, air
travelers must selectively listen for announcements over the airport intercom about their
flights. There is no need to fully listen to every announcement. In an interpersonal or formal
setting, however, selective listening can be a hindrance to effective listening. If we only "tune
in" to a speaker when he talks about a topic in which we're interested, we might miss out on
opportunities to learn or to support a friend. Selective listening may be caused by
uncomfortable conversation or one in which we find no topic of interest. In interpersonal
interactions, selective listening can be avoided by making an effort to listen to everything the
speaker has to say.
Ambushing is listening for the sake of attack. If we listen to a speaker solely for the purpose
of accusation, we are not genuinely interested in their well-being. We must check our
tendencies to be an ambush listener by taking the speaker's perspective and focusing on his or
her communication goals. The last form of non-listening is defensive listening. When we
listen defensively, we become preoccupied with the speaker's motivations. Innocent
comments are interpreted as personal attacks. Evaluating comments within their intended
context may curb defensive listening. Do not jump to conclusions. Wait for the speaker to
finish talking and then ask for clarification if needed.
Preparing to Listen
If we pay attention to all the verbal and nonverbal communication around us, it will erode our
understanding of the message. We need to use selective listening strategies in order to
accurately interpret the communication.
Be ready to listen. First, we need to get ourselves physically and mentally ready to listen. We
need to be aware of the context of the communication. If we are in a classroom and the
teacher is talking about a project we have to do, our attention will be drawn to the
assignment. We may want to take notes, clarify the assignment if it isn't understood, and
focus on the message given, while blocking out other distractions in and outside of the room.
For tools, we may need to gather pencils and paper. Posture will also aid our preparation, so
we sit upright in our chairs to keep alert.
Be an attentive listener. Even if the context requires that we become involved in a discussion,
while the other speaker is talking, we need to pay attention to them. Otherwise, we might be
thinking about what we need to say next. It is difficult to focus on being a listener, especially
when we may be asked to participate.
However, we have to shut out the distraction of that voice or noise in our heads that is telling
us what to say next. Our message and the speaker's message will overlap, and we may miss
critical pieces of the speaker's message.
Hear the whole message. Too often, something a speaker says triggers an emotion or thought
that is important to us, and we prepare to respond. Instead, we have to restrain ourselves and
focus on hearing the whole message. Our responses might be quite different once the whole
message is heard.
Apply the best listening skills. Listening is much like reading. When we are reading a text
such as this lesson, we have to concentrate on details, which requires us to read at a slower
pace. However, when we are reading a fiction novel for pleasure, we might read at a faster
pace, skimming some of the details to get to the action in the story. When we are listening for
pleasure (for example, our favorite TV programs or music), we can afford to daydream a bit
or let it run in our minds as background. However, if the information is important, it requires
our exclusive attention, and we need to listen for the details.
Let's Review!
In this lesson, you learned how to identify and overcome six major listening barriers.
Removing these barriers will assist you in focusing your listening skills and becoming a
better listener.