Listening and Responding
A Closer Look at Listening
The International Listening Association
http://www.listen.org/
The Ship That Couldn't Be Sunk
Wait a minute! Say that again,
Doris! . . . you know the part about,
'If only we had some means of
climbing down.'
One of the greatest tragedies in the history of sea
travel occurred on the night of April 14, 1912,
when the crew of the Titanic refused to listen to
repeated warnings of icebergs. The crew had
been led to believe that this brand-new passenger liner was "unsinkable." Even after the
ship struck an iceberg and was slowly sinking,
some of the passengers ignored the captain's
orders to get into the lifeboats.
When the ship finally began tilting
dangerously, it was too late. There weren't
enough lifeboats for all the passengers and
worse still, the Californian, the only other ship
in the area (about 10 miles away) made no
attempt to reach the wreck. Her radio operator
had gone off duty. He, too, wasn't listening. As a
result, more than a thousand people needlessly
lost their lives.
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Listening facts
Other studies say you listen 40% and speak 35% (pg 53)
Executives say they spend upwards of 50% listening (pg 53)
You my only remember 35% after 24 hours (pg 53)
Employees of major North American corporations spend
60% of time listening
Of North American executives, 80% believe listening is one
of the most important skills needed in the corporate
environment.
In committed relationships, listening in everyday
conversations is ingredient of satisfaction
The ideal manager has ability to listen effectively, according
to 1000 human resource executives
Fewer than 2% of us have had any formal listening training
(page 88)
Students are in listening situations 65%-90% of the time.
http://74.6.239.185/search/srpcache?ei=UTF-8&p=average+time+listening+student+90%25&fr=yfp-t701&u=http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=average+time+listening+student+90%25&d=4609848658364003&mkt=en-US&setlang=enUS&w=dfbf78a9,a855f805&icp=1&.intl=us&sig=NHJx5H8lcShoDeVIui.73w--
Listening and Hearing are NOT the same thing
•Hearing is a physiological process (passive and physical)
•Listening is a cognitive process (active and mental)
“Listening is the conscious act of
recognizing, understanding, and accurately
interpreting the messages communicated
by others” (pg 53).
Selective Perception (pg 53-54)
Selective Perception is when people pay
attention selectively to certain messages while
ignoring others.
• We pay attention to what we hold to be
important.
• We pay attention to information that touches
our experiences and backgrounds.
• We sort and filter new information on the
basis of what we already know.
Listening Process:
1. Attending – paying attention to a signal / focusing on what a
speaker is saying
2. Understanding – making sense of a message / decoding the
message
3. Remembering – retaining the information and recalling it
Unfortunately, research suggests people only remember 50%
immediately after hearing it, only 35% within eight hours and
within 2 days only remember 20% of the original message
4. Evaluating – critically analyzing the message
5. Responding – providing feedback
Barriers to Active Listening (pg 55)
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(Reasons for Poor Listening)
Effort – heart rate quickens, respiration
increases, body temperature rises
Rapid thought – we are capable of
understanding speech at rates between 400800 wpm, the average person only speaks
between 120-150 wpm
Message overload
Laziness and Overconfidence (pg 57)
Cultural Barriers (pg 58)
Barriers to Active Listening (pg 55)
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(Reasons for Poor Listening)
Physical noise / External distractions (pg 56)
Psychological noise / Internal distractions (pg 56)
Defensive Listening (pg 56)
Hearing problems
Faulty assumptions – heard it all before,
information is too simple or complex,
information is unimportant
Selective Listening
Pseudolistening (fake listening)
Barriers to Active Listening (pg 55)
(Reasons for Poor Listening)
• Talking has more apparent advantages – talking
allows us to gain more (admiration, respect,
liking). One study revealed that men interrupt
more than women. Men interrupt to dominate or
control conversation. Women interrupt to agree,
elaborate on speaker’s idea, or participate in
topic.
• Media Influences – programming consists of
short segments
• Short attention spans – A 1999 study revealed
the average attention span for adults is 20
minutes or less. (page 91)
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Improve Your Listening
Set Listening Goals (pg 59)
Look for key ideas (pg 59)
Watch for nonverbal cues (pg 60)
Get physically and mentally ready to listen
(Effective
listeners are likely to sit uprights, lean forward, cease unnecessary movement,
look directly at instructor)
• Resist mental distractions
• Don’t argue, interrupt, or judge prematurely –
Hear the speaker out! (We typically stop listening before they
have finished if we think we know what they are going to say)
• Observe nonverbal cues – gestures, voice, facial
expressions
• Identify the benefits of the message – Be
opportunist
Improve Your Listening
• Ask questions to gain additional information
• Paraphrase
• Repeat the information – if information is not reinforced it
will be held in short-term memory for as little as 20 seconds (page 97)
• Construct mnemonics - AURER
• Take GOOD notes