Difference between
Hearing and Listening
Hearing---physical process
Listening---active mental
process; attempt to make
meaning of what we hear
Steps of Listening
1. Hearing---electrochemical
impulses are transmitted to
brain
2. Attending---what we
decide to focus on based on
our wants/needs
Steps cont’d
3. Understanding---Making meaning
of what is heard based on grammar
and social context
4. Remembering---ability to recall
information.
People remember 1/2 of what they
listen to immediately and 1/4 of info
from 2 months ago.
3 Types of Listening
1. Informational
used when dealing with facts
gather as much accurate data
as possible
focus on factual details rather
than criticism or judgment
3 Types of Listening
2. Evaluative
purpose is evaluation and decisionmaking
Informational listening MUST come
before this
Evaluate on basis of speaker’s
credibility, use of evidence, and
emotional appeal
3 Types of Listening
3. Empathic
Focus on speaker’s emotions
to provide emotional support
in order to help speaker solve a
problem or come to terms with
a situation
Intention is NOT to make decision
for the speaker.
Bad Habits (that interfere
with effective listening)
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Pseudo listening
Stage-Hogging
Selective Listening
Fill In Listening/Reconstructive
Listening
Insulated Listening
Defensive Listening
Ambushing
Insensitive Listening
Bad Habits (that interfere
with effective listening)
1. Pseudolistening---acting
like you are listening when
your mind is elsewhere
an imitation of the real thing - you know the
type - smile, nod, add a few words while
masking thoughts that have nothing to do
with what is being said
Self-Centered/Stage
hogging--Rehearsing what you will
say while speaker is speaking
---the stage-hogger is busy looking for
ways to turn the topic of conversation to
themselves instead of showing interest in
the speaker
Bad Habits (that interfere
with effective listening)
Selective---responding only to the parts of
the speakers' remarks that interest them,
rejecting everything else that is said
Fill-in---gaps left in understanding
by selective listening filled by what
we expect to hear
Reconstructive
---take a new message and
rebuild it so it’s like a previous
message. (Telephone Game)
Defensive
---focus on ideas not even there
and interpret as personal attacks
when they were not intended
that way
this listener thinks the speaker is out to get them
and reads into every word that is being said to try
to decipher if they feel it is a personal insult
Insulated
---choose not to listen to what
we don’t want to hear
the cold shoulder style - this listener fails
to hear or acknowledge the speaker when
they don't want to discuss a topic and the
speaker starts talking about the subject
anyway
Ambushing--watch these type of listeners - they are
listening but they are gathering
information to use against you when you
finish speaking
Insensitive---
these type of listeners take the speakers'
words at face value - they don't take into
consideration the words not being spoken
and behavior being exhibited that perhaps
the speaker is communicating more than
the words that are actually spoken