UNIT-1:

FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION

Structure
1.1 Objectives
1.2 Introduction
1.3 Effective Communication
1.4 Basic Forms of Communication
1.5 Barriers to Communication
1.6 Dealing with Communication Barriers
1.7 Listening
1.8 Types of Listening
1.9 Effective Listening
1.10 Powerful Speech
1.11 Let us Summarise
1.12 Suggested Sites
1.1

OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit, you will be able to discuss:

What is meant by Communication?

The Importance of Communication

The Process of Communication

The Basic Forms of Communication

Barriers to Communication

Dealing with Communication Barriers

Why is listening important for effective communication?

Types of listening

Positive listening responses

Negative listening responses

1.2

INTRODUCTION

What is meant by communication?

Communication is the act of transmitting verbal and non-verbal information and
understanding between the sender and the receiver.
It is a two-way process. It is complete only when the sender has sent his message;
this message is received by the receiver; understood by the receiver in the way the
sender wants him to understand; response or result is achieved; and the receiver
communicates back to the sender.
It is the process by which information and feelings are shared by people through an
exchange of verbal and non-verbal messages. Communication is effective only if
the desired response or result is achieved.

DESIRED
SENDER

RECEIVER

RESPONSE/
RESULT

We as human beings are social animals. We live in a society. We are born with
the capacity to communicate. Right from the time we are born we communicate; a new
born child communicates as well. A cry could mean he/she is hungry, needs a change of
his/her nappy, or is feeling cold. From birth to death communication is central to our
personal, professional, and civic lives.
5

Why is it important to communicate?

Since we live in a society and there is always a need to interact with each other
for some purpose or the other, it is important for us to communicate. Human relations are
not possible without communication. However, good and effective communication is
required not only for good human relations but also for good and successful business.
Progress is possible only if we communicate.
Communication is not only the basis of human thought, it is the means by which
each of us develops an individual pattern of beliefs, attitudes, and valuesthe personal
attributes that bring us to understand, misunderstand, accept, or reject others who are like
or unlike ourselves. In that sense, communication is the foundation of an effective
democratic and multicultural society.
Most of your communication time may be spent speaking and listening, while a
small portion of time is spent reading and writing.
Let us say that you are at a shop and you want to buy a tube of toothpaste. Unless
you tell the shopkeeper what you want or maybe even point out to a tube of paste on the
rack, you will not be able to buy it. You need to communicate either by action or
verbally.
Communication is like breathing, you cannot live if you dont breathe; similarly,
you cannot live in this world if you dont communicate.
Glossary
Attributes:

quality or characteristic that someone or something has

Transmitting:

to pass something from one person or place to another

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 1

1. When do we start communicating?
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
2.

Give two reasons as to why we should communicate.

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
6

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
3.

Write two or three sentences (in your own words) about what you have
understood by communication.

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................

1.3

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
How do we know whether we have communicated effectively?
You have been communicating all your life; you might wonder why you need to
study about communication. One answer is that formal study can improve skills.
Some people have a natural talent for singing or playing cricket. They could
become better if they took voice lessons or studied theories of offensive or
defensive play in cricket. Likewise, even if you communicate well now, learning
about it more can make you more effective.
Communication is complete only when we make ourselves clear to our receivers.
The only way in which we can determine whether we have communicated
effectively is by finding out if the desired result or response is achieved at the end
of the process. If the desired response or result is not achieved, then be sure that
you have not communicated properly.
There could be many reasons as to why the receiver has not responded in the way
in which you want him/her to. It could be your choice of words, tone, lack of
complete information, assumptions, generalization, noise, distractions just about
anything.
Read the following anecdote which will help you understand how communication
can be ineffective if you do not take care to send the message across to the receiver.
Rohini was busy working on a project report. She called out to her 15 year old,
Pooja, to check if the milk on the stove was boiling.
7

As she was completely involved in her report, she forgot about it as soon as she had
spoken.
After a while, she suddenly looked up as she could smell something burning and
she could also see smoke filling the room.
She dashed to the kitchen to check what was happening. To her dismay, she saw
the pan of milk, or what had been the pan of milk, charred beyond repair as the
flame of the stove was still burning.
Rohini yelled desperately for Pooja, "Didnt I tell you to check if the milk was
boiling?"
Pooja: "Yes, you did. And I did check!"
Rohini: "Then how come the pan is charred and there is no milk left?"
Pooja:"..but, but, you did not ask me to turn it off!"
For communication to be clear and effective, it must satisfy four criteria:

A message must be sent.

The message must be received.

The message must be understood.

There must be a response.

Let's look at these requirements one at a time.

A Message Must Be Sent.
The first requirement for clear communication is the sending of a message. For this
to happen, the sender who has something to express must do something to convey
the message to the receiver. He should either speak, write, sing etc., to express his
ideas or even express them non-verbally through clear gestures, facial expressions,
and so on.
The Message Must Be Received
The second important part of the communication process is that the message should
be received and understood. Effective communicators know that they have not
conveyed their meaning until they have made sure that the other person has
received it exactly as they sent it. They test, with questions and observations, to
make sure that the real meaning they wanted to convey has been received and
understood.
8

The Message Must Be Understood

The cycle of communication is complete only when your message has been sent,
received and understood the way in which the sender wants the receiver to
understand. You may not always agree with the other person, and the other person
may not always agree with you -- but it is important that you understand each other.
There Must Be a Response
The aim of all communication is to get the desired response and result. You want to
say something correctly, and have your receiver understand what you mean by it.
But you also want the receiver to do something in response.

The criteria for communication sound simple enough. However, when we fail to
consider the context, things can get difficult. Each of us has our own ideas. These
are formed by our culture and are modified by our own unique life experiences. Our
life's experiences add color and shades of meaning to different words. When we
speak, our ideas must be translated into words which can be understood by the
listener.
Tina was visiting Korea for the first time. She had to get some information from
the library for the book she was writing. She needed to photocopy some pages, so
she went up to the librarian and asked: " Is there a copy machine here?"
The librarian nodded, and pointed out to the hallway.
She promptly walked down the hallway, but all she could find was a coffee vending
machine.
Puzzled, she walked around looking for the photocopier. Finally, she met someone
who could understand English properly. She said, "I asked the librarian for a copy
machine and he pointed this way, but there is no copier here; I only found a coffee
machine!"
The man laughed and said, "Oh! You must be new here. You see the Koreans
cannot understand the sound of "p"; he would have understood copy to be
coffee!"
You can probably think of numerous examples of misunderstandings in your life,
on your job and in your culture.
Though Karnataka and Tamil Nadu belong to the same country, there are different
9

beliefs characteristic of each state.

The following anecdote shows clearly how what is considered good in one state can
be bad in another.
In Tamil Nadu, it is considered auspicious to say that we will have "vada and
payasam" for a festive occasion or for a celebration. However, the same expression
will have a different meaning in Karnataka. "Vada and payasam" is usually made
for the ceremonies of the dead.
A friend of mine from Tamil Nadu, got married and came to Bangalore, a city in
Karnataka. Her mother-in-law had arranged for a pooja to be performed in the
house to welcome the new daughter-in-law. Nearly 200 people were invited for the
pooja.
As the pooja started and was in progress, my friend was very happy and excited and
suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! Lovely! We will have vada payasa today!" This was
greeted by dead silence in the gathering and her mother-in-law was very angry and
upset. She was rather puzzled until her husband explained to her that it was the
wrong thing to say during a pooja.
Therefore, it is important to consider the culture of the place.

10

Glossary
Anecdote:

a short story that you tell someone about something that

happened to you or to someone else

Characteristic: a typical or obvious quality that makes one person or thing different from
others
Conveyed:

to communicate information, feelings, or images to someone

Culture:

the habits, traditions, beliefs, lifestyle, food etc., of a country,

society, or group of people

Modified:

to change something in order to improve it

Numerous:

many

Offensive and:

style of playing strokes in cricket; offensive play is when

defensive play

you attack the other team and defensive when

you stop the other team from getting more runs

Opportunities:

chances

Talent:

a natural ability to do something

Unique:

one of a kind; different from everything or everyone else

Vada and payasam:

special dishes prepared by most South Indians .

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 2

1.

How can you communicate effectively?

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
2.

Have you ever been in a funny situation because of miscommunication?

Share your experience.

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
11

1.4

BASIC FORMS OF COMMUNICATION

The two basic forms of communication are Verbal and Non-Verbal.

COMMUNICATION

VERBAL

NON-VERBAL

Verbal Communication
Verbal communication is when a person puts across a message by speaking or
writing. The message can be sent to an individual, a team or a group.
Verbal communication can be

Face to face

Speaking on the telephone

Using intercoms

Video conferencing (when people use advanced technology to see each

other while speaking from any part of the world)

Conference calling (when people use advanced technology to speak with

people situated at various locations on the globe and virtually hold a
conference on the telephone, speaking with many people at the same time)

Formal and informal letters

Business and personal emails

Online Chat

Reports

Memoranda

Resumes

The print media (newspapers, magazines etc.)

Verbal communication can be either formal or informal.

Formal Verbal Communication is used in offices, while meeting strangers,
speaking with older people, public addresses, and social gatherings. Choice of
words and tone will certainly be more polite than in informal situations.

12

Note:

While interacting with strangers, speaking with older people and in social
gatherings, communication could sometimes change from formal to informal
according to the situation as well.
Informal communication is used among family and friends. Choice of words and
tone may vary according to the degree of closeness with a particular member of the
family or friends circle. Jargon, slang and short forms may form part of it as well.

*Non Verbal Communication:

Non verbal communication includes

Shaking hands

Posture

Facial expressions

Appearance

Voice

Tone

Hairstyle

Clothes

Expression in your eyes

Smile

How close you stand to others

How you listen

Confidence

Your breathing

The way you move

The way you stand

The way you touch people

Color choice

Silence

*This will be dealt with in detail in Unit 3.

13

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 3

1. How would you greet your grandfather?
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
2. How would you greet your friend when you meet him at a cinema theatre?
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
3. Classify the following into Verbal or Non-Verbal forms of communication:
a letter to your friend; namaste; wearing stylish clothes; a memo; talking to a
friend; chatting on line; keeping silent; shouting; breathing heavily; writing an
email; asking for information; hugging your mother.

Sl. No.

Verbal

Non-Verbal

___1_______________________________________________________________
___2_______________________________________________________________
___3________________________________________________________________
___4________________________________________________________________
___5________________________________________________________________
6

14

Glossary
Jargon:

words and phrases used by particular groups of

people that are difficult for other people to understand

Memoranda:

official documents, information, messages

Resumes:

a document which describes your qualifications and

jobs you have done, which you send to an employer
that you want to work for

Slang:

informal language often used by people belonging to

a particular group; slang is not acceptable in business
English

Tone:

1.5

the style and quality of the sound of someones voice

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
What is meant by "barrier"?
We can look at the word "barrier" to mean several things. It could be a fence, a
wall, or just something that obstructs your view, thought or perception.
Many people think that communicating is easy. It is after all something we've done
all our lives. Communicating is straightforward.
What makes it complex, difficult, and frustrating are the barriers we put in the way.
Communication can have many barriers which usually result in miscommunication.

1.

Physical Barriers
Physical barriers include:

Marked out territories into which strangers are not allowed For example,
many offices have electronically locked doors which can be opened only by
using access cards.

Closed doors, barrier screens, separate areas for people of different status

Large working areas or working in one unit that is physically separated

from others.

15

2.

Perceptual Barriers
The problem with communicating with others is that we all see the world
differently. If we didn't, we would have no need to communicate. Perception is how
you look at others and the world around you. How you look at the world depends
on what you think of yourself.
How many legs does this elephant have? Observe carefully and you could just see
8 legs instead of 4!!

Illusions are used to show that our senses can be tricked - this happens
in communication when there is a difference in what we expect and
what is really happening.
Perceptual Process-you select the information, you organize it, and you interpret
it.
The following anecdote is a reminder of how our thoughts, assumptions and
perceptions shape our own realities:
There was this bank manager who was campaigning for accounts for the new
branch that had opened in the neighborhood. Geetha, a lady in the area, decided to
open an account in the new branch. The manager was delighted and from then on
Geetha was treated as an important customer.
One day, as she was not very clear about an entry in her pass book, she went up to
the manager and said, "I have a doubt regarding" and even before she could
complete the sentence, the manager pushed back his chair in anger and screamed,
"You doubt me, you doubt me. How dare you! Get out of my office now."
A harmless question was taken as an insult and the situation got completely out of
control. The manager thought that she was suspecting him when all she was trying
to do was clarify something.
Try this exercise to understand how pre-conceived ideas play on our minds.
16

Read the chart and say the color out loudly, not the word for example the word
"yellow" is printed in green; therefore, you are expected to read aloud the color
which is "green" usually as most of us continue reading, we will end up reading
the word and not the color.
YELLOW BLUE ORANGE BLACK RED GREEN PURPLE
YELLOW RED ORANGE GREEN BLACK BLUE RED PURPLE
GREEN BLUE ORANGE BLUE BLACK GREEN ORANGE RED

3.

Emotional Barriers

One of the main barriers to open and free communications is the emotional barrier.
It deals mainly with fear, mistrust and suspicion. The roots of our emotional
mistrust of others lie in our childhood when we were taught to be careful about
what we said to others. I am sure most of us in our growing years have heard one or
the other of the following statements.

"Mind your Ps and Qs"

"Don't speak until you're spoken to"

"Children should be seen and not heard"

"Respect your elders do not question or answer them back"

As a result many people hold back from communicating their thoughts and feelings
to others.
They feel vulnerable. While you need to be careful with certain relationships, you
also need not be over careful as this may result in slowing down the process of
effective and clear communication.
Rakesh had risen to the position of a team manager through sheer hard work. He
belonged to a conventional Indian family, where youngsters are taught to respect
older people.
He faced a serious problem at work. One of his team members, Krishnamurthy,
was a slightly elderly gentleman who was rather lazy and did not complete his work
on time.
As the team manager, he knew that he had to talk to Krishnamurthy and pull him up
for his laziness. However, he was unable to do so because Krishnamurthy was
much older. His upbringing (which had taught him to respect and fear elders)
17

stopped him from telling an older person that he was lazy.

As a result, he had to face a lot of problems with his boss who was an American
and could not understand Rakeshs plight.
Psychological factors such as people's state of mind can also come in the way of
clear communication. We all tend to be more receptive to information when we are
happy.
Similarly, if someone has personal problems like worries about their health or
marriage, then this will probably affect them.
Imagine that you have just heard that a good friend of yours has met with an
accident and is in hospital with serious injuries. I am sure you will be upset to hear
this. When you are in such a state of mind, would you be able to have fun and
enjoy yourself?
4.

Cultural Barriers
Each country has its own culture. What might be considered polite behavior could
be considered rude in other places. In Japanese culture, it is considered proper
behavior for men to keep silent. If a man talks too much, he is considered
uncultured. This has created problems for the Japanese when they interact with
people from other cultures as they do not speak even when they need to.
With people communicating globally, it has become quite common to adapt to
global etiquette. For example, it is considered rude to burp after a meal, especially
in public.
Check this story out which is in total contrast to what we now follow as global
etiquette.
An Englishman, John Ernest, was exploring and writing about the lives of certain
nomadic tribes in the Middle East. He was invited to a feast by the head of a
particular tribe. The spread before him was impressive. He ate till he could eat no
more. His host was most courteous and hospitable and kept serving him
generously. Everything seemed to be going fine. Suddenly, John felt that his host
seemed to be expecting something from him. He immediately thanked him for the
lovely meal. However, his host did not seem too happy.
John continued to feel his host watching him expectantly. Half an hour passed in
this manner. Then suddenly his host yelled for the chef and to Johns shock, drew
out his sword to kill the chef.
18

John was aghast, and couldnt stop himself from yelling out, "Why? What has he
done? I have never eaten such delicious food in all my life!" His host replied
angrily, "..but then, you havent burped even once! It only means one thing; the
food was not to your taste. My chef has disappointed me; he has failed to please
my guest, that is you, Mr. John."
This tribe firmly believed that if someone has enjoyed his meal, he should show his
appreciation by burping loudly. If he doesnt, it means that the food was not good.
John hastily explained that in his culture it was considered rude to burp and it had
nothing to do with the taste of the food which he had found exotic and delicious.
5.

Language Barriers
The language we use may also present barriers to others who are not familiar with
our expressions, slang and jargon. In a global market place the best way to make
another person feel good is to talk in their language.
We all know that countries like America and Britain outsource work to India.
However, we as Indians do not always understand their idiomatic expressions.
One example is that of a customer support representative (working in a call center
which gave support to an online purchasing company) who was very confused
while taking a call. A customer from America who had bought a watch recently
complained that his watch had "busted"; the representative understood it as
"bursted" and replied saying that it was impossible for a watch to burst! He failed
to understand that the customer meant to say that his watch had stopped working!
Incidentally, the verb "burst" has all its three forms as "burst" in British English;
however, "bursted" is an accepted form in American English.
An individuals command over language is also important. The use of difficult or
inappropriate words in communication can stop people from understanding the
message.
Poorly explained or misunderstood messages can also result in confusion. We can
all think of situations where we have listened to an explanation which we just could
not grasp. It is always better to express ourselves in clear and simple language.

6.

Physiological Barriers:
Physiological barriers may result from individuals' personal discomfort, caused, for
example, by ill health, poor eye sight or hearing difficulties.
19

Radha and Ravi had been married ten years. For sometime, Ravi had felt that
Radha did not respond to him when he spoke to her. He suddenly remembered that
deafness ran in her family. He did not want to upset her by asking her whether she
was able to hear properly.
Worried, he met their family doctor and explained the situation to him. The doctor
told him that he could check this out discreetly. He asked Ravi to go home and
speak to her from a distance and check whether she responded.
Ravi got home to find Radha busy cooking. He yelled, "What is for dinner ?"
There was no reply. Worried, he moved closer and repeated the question. Still,
there was no reply. He kept yelling until he was really close to her. Looking very
worried, he shouted the question once again.
Radha turned around looking really angry. "What is wrong with you? How many
times do you want me to repeat that we are having chicken for dinner? Right from
the time you entered and yelled from the entrance, I have been shouting, chicken.
Are you deaf or what?"
To his dismay, Ravi realized that he was the one who was turning deaf!
Poor Listening will Certainly Result in Miscommunication.
It was getting close to 1 pm. Ajay, a technical support agent was on a call with a
customer. Ajay was helping him install a new program on his laptop. Mid-way
through the process, his friends started gesturing to him that it was time for lunch.
Ajay was distracted by them. He missed the customer asking him to explain the
step they were going through. Ajay continued giving instructions and finally asked
the customer if the program had been installed successfully.
Unfortunately, for Ajay, as he had missed a vital question, the whole process had to
be repeated before the installation was completed successfully. By the time he was
done it was close to 3 p.m. Had he listened carefully, he would have finished by
1.30 p.m! He could have saved precious time, both for the customer and himself.
The other misfortune was that the customer was so angry by the end of the call that
he complained about Ajay to his supervisor. It became a black mark on his record.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 4
1.

Of the various barriers to communication that you have learnt, which of them
do you feel are the most difficult to overcome and why?

................................................................................................................................................
20

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
2.

Can you think of any situation where you have misunderstood words and
reacted differently? Write a few sentences about such an experience.

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
Glossary
Assumptions:

something that you think is true without having any proof

Barrier:

something that stops people from doing what they want

Campaigning:

in the given context, to get new accounts for his branch

Clarify:

to make something easier to understand by explaining it

Complex:

difficult to understand; not simple

Conventional:

traditional

Dismay:

feeling of unhappiness and disappointment

Frustrating:

feeling annoyed that things are not happening the way you
want them to

Gesture:

to point at something or express something using your hand,

arm or head.

Illusion:

an idea or belief that is not true; something that is not really

what it seems to be

Mutter:

speak so softly that it is difficult to hear

Perceive:

what you think or believe about someone or something

Pre-conceived ideas: ideas or thoughts that are decided before the facts of a
21

situation are known.

1.6

Receptive:

willing to think about and accept new ideas

Vital:

necessary

Vulnerable:

easy to hurt or attack physically or emotionally

DEALING WITH COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Physical barriers are not very difficult to overcome. Seeking permission, knocking
etc., can easily help us deal with them.
Perceptual barriers can be overcome by taking time to empathize with the other
person and being open to the other persons views and ideas.
Emotional barriers are far more difficult to deal with as some of them may have
existed for a long time and we may need to get professional help to overcome them.
Sometimes, opening up our minds to different ideas and broadening our perspective
can help us go a long way.
Cultural barriers can be overcome by understanding cultural differences and
respecting different cultures.
Language barriers take a long time to overcome. However, learning the language
and the nuances of its usage would help. Developing spoken and written skills in
that particular language is essential.
Physiological barriers can be overcome by identifying the barrier and finding a
solution accordingly. For example, if you are unable to see or read, you could get
your vision checked and it can be corrected by using a pair of spectacles or even
contact lenses.
However, the most important barrier in the communication process is poor
listening.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 5

1. Match the following:
1.

Physical barrier

Attending a formal dinner in New York and not

knowing which spoon to use first as there are
many spoons arranged next to your plate
22

2.

Perceptual barrier

Waiting at the reception to be escorted into the

managers office

3.

Emotional barrier

Being unable to read the notice board even from

a close distance

4.

Cultural barrier

Trying to ask for directions in Tokyo (you dont

know Japanese)

5.

Language barrier

Being pre-occupied while in a meeting

6.

Physiological barrier

Being so respectful toward elders that you dont

speak out even if they are wrong

7.

Poor listening

Pre-formed ideas

Glossary

1.7

Empathize:

to understand and feel exactly the same emotion as the other

person

Nuances:

very slight differences in meaning

Perceptive:

quick to notice and understand things

LISTENING
Let us first understand what is meant by "listening" and also differentiate it from
"hearing".
Listening and hearing are not the same.
We hear all sorts of noises in the world around us, but we do not listen to them all.
For example, people who live near busy roads get used to the sound of traffic and
don't hear it anymore. These are not things we want to listen to so we 'tune them
out' and don't usually notice them.
Listening is a form of communication and is an active process. When you listen you
must get meaning from what is being said before you can respond
Listening is important to each of us because it enables us to:

be more effective in our interpersonal relationships

gain important information

gather data to make correct decisions

respond appropriately to the messages that we hear

23

When we listen to others we need to listen to the total meaning, that is, both the
content and the attitudes or feelings underlying the content. Therefore, even though
listening may appear effortless - we still need concentration and commitment to the
listening process.
Listening involves much more than hearing a message. Hearing is merely the
physical aspect of listening: it is a relaxed, passive and physical occupation that
needs little or no effort of mind or will. Thus, it is possible to hear sounds, for
example, the chirping of birds, while concentrating on other tasks.
Three events take place if hearing is to take place properly.

We isolate the sounds correctly.

We place the sounds in a meaningful order so that they may be recognized

as words.

We recognize words in a pattern that forms a language, which then helps to

convey the communicator's message to us.

Listening, on the other hand, is a mental and active process and thus it is practically
impossible to do other tasks effectively at the same time. Listening involves the
three steps necessary for the hearing process but also has two additional steps. They
are:

paying attention to the speaker

trying to understand what the other person is saying

Therefore, listening is the process of actively discovering and understanding the

meaning of verbal messages; it requires active participation of the individual.
Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to
reply. They're either speaking or preparing to speak.
When another person speaks, we're usually 'listening' at one of four levels.

We may not be paying attention to another person, or not really listening at

all.

We may be pretending - 'Yeah. Uh-huh. Right'.

We may be engaged in selective listening, i.e., listening only to certain parts

of the conversation.

Or we may even be engaged in attentive listening, i.e., paying attention and

focusing energy on the words that are being said.

However, very few of us listen with the intent of understanding.

24

We need to actively listen in order to understand the message as it is meant to be

understood.
The main parts of active listening are:

Being attentive

Responding appropriately to show that you are listening

Thinking seriously and carefully about what is being said

Summarizing for understanding

Active listening is a dynamic process and requires the listener to actively

participate in the communication process.
Have you ever misinterpreted someone's directions? For example, the term 'soon'.
If I say, I would like that project finished soon, please, then when would I like it
done? Does 'soon' mean today? Tomorrow? End of the week? Active listening
helps clarify such cases.
The listener may clarify by asking, Is tomorrow morning OK?
Evaluating what you have listened to is important as it helps you understand the
senders information. When you evaluate, you need to differentiate between facts
and emotion-laden words or statements.
For example, if someone tells you, "This dress looks absolutely fabulous on you.
You must buy it or youll be disappointed with yourself for not treating yourself to
such a gorgeous dress," the fact might be that you dont need the dress as you have
just bought one the day before. Therefore, you need to think through the facts and
analyze instead of getting influenced by emotion.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 6
1. List two differences between "Hearing" and "Listening".
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
25

2. What are the main components of active listening?

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
Glossary
Dynamic:

active

Isolate:

separate someone or something from other people or things

Misinterpret: to understand something in the wrong way

Summarize:
1.8

to describe briefly the main facts or ideas of something

TYPES OF LISTENING
Listening can be classified into many types. A few examples are given here in this
table.
TYPES OF LISTENING
NAME

DESCRIPTION

Active listening

You listen closely to content and intent. What

emotional meaning might the speaker be giving
you? You try to block out barriers to listening.
Most importantly, you are not jumping to
criticize people and you are empathetic.

Inactive or passive listening

In this type of listening, nothing of the speaker's

words goes into the mind of the listener. The
words of the speaker don't activate the thought
process of the listener. But the listeners are
physically present though mentally absent. The
listener may have decided to ignore the speaker
due to either a preconceived notion or lack of
interest in what the speaker is saying.
26

Selective listening

This type of listening is a little better than passive

listening in that the information of the speaker is
listened to in bits and pieces rather than the
whole of it. You occasionally take in some
information, probably because it is pleasant to
you or agreeable with your existing views.
However, you as the listener may be missing out
on the important part of the speaker's message.
This can also be classified under negative kinds
of listening since the important part of the
message is ignored and the benefit of it missed
out.You only hear what you want to hear. You
hear some of the message and immediately begin
to formulate your reply without waiting for the
speaker to finish.

Reflective listening

This is active listening when you think about

what the speaker is saying, reflect on it and make
sure there is mutual understanding.

Biased listening

When you have a pre-formed opinion or belief

and you let it affect what you are listening to.

Comprehension listening

Listening to understand, seeking meaning

analyzing.

Critical listening

Listening in order to evaluate, criticize or

otherwise pass judgment on what someone else
says. This may not always be positive especially
when you pass judgment. However, if it is to
give positive feedback in order to progress, it is
acceptable.

Empathetic listening

Seeking to understand what the other person is

feeling. Demonstrating this empathy. Empathy is
when you can actually feel exactly the same way
as the other person and literally live the situation
which the other person is experiencing.

Inactive listening

Pretending to listen and not bothering to respond.

27

Initial listening

Listening at first, then thinking about a response

and looking to interrupt in the process of which
you miss what is being said further.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 7

Match the following:
1. Active listening

1. The team leader was evaluating his teams

presentation.

2. Inactive or passive listening

2. John was very interested at first but soon he

lost interest

3. Critical listening

3. Jane listened carefully, understood, and

answered.

4. Biased listening

4. Meena was busy thinking about what she

would wear for the party that evening.

5. Initial listening

5. Bina thought to herself, "I dont think that

Kate is capable of making this presentation.
What is the use of listening to her?"

Glossary
Criticize:

to say that someone or something is not quite right or the way they
should be

1.9

Evaluate:

to consider or study something carefully and decide how good or bad

it is

Interrupt:

to disturb or stop someone while they are talking

Mutual:

when two or more people have the same opinion about each other

Passive:

not taking active part

EFFECTIVE LISTENING
In order to improve our listening skills we need to be aware of the major barriers to
effective listening.
Some barriers come from the listeners themselves (for example, disinterest in the
topic), some from the sender (for example, a boring tone) and others from the
environment (too much noise).
28

Certain bad listening habits also act as barriers

deciding in advance that the subject is uninteresting

focusing on the poor delivery of the speaker rather than on what is being
said

concentrating on making ones own point

focusing only on facts

pretending to pay attention

allowing distractions to interfere with listening

responding emotionally to certain words or phrases

day dreaming because of the difference between speech speed and thought
speed

How can you become an effective listener?

There are some skills that, with practice, can improve your listening competence.
A few things that you can do to become an effective listener:

Become interested in the topic to avoid boredom.

Do not get distracted by the other persons appearance, dress, mannerisms,

etc.

Listen for concepts and major ideas.

Don't pretend to be attentive and appear to be listening; be genuine.

Listen to the entire message before evaluating.

Skill in listening is determined by how well all people in the communication

process have understood each other and how well they have communicated this
understanding. Listening involves clarifying and understanding the message by
taking an active interest in the communication process.
Some listening responses that need to be avoided

"You shouldn't feel that way. "

"I have faced situations that were much worse than yours."

"Don't blame me, I told you not to..."

"What did you do to make him so angry?"

"I certainly would have behaved in a better way than you did. What you did
was bad."

"Just because you are the boss, you think that you can do anything, is it?"
29

"I dont agree with you."

Some listening responses that can be used

"In other words, your decision was to..."

"Tell me more" "Really?" "Go on" "uh-huh"

"Yeah" "I see" "That's interesting"

"Please go on..."

"What do you plan to do?"

"How do you feel about that?"

"How are you working this through?"

"Have you just started feeling this way?"

"What are your reasons for feeling this way?"

"I can tell you've given this a lot of thought."

"I disagree with you but I respect your decision."

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 8

1.

List at least 5 barriers to listening.

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
2.

Raja works for a computer company. He always gets into trouble while
interacting with his customers. He seems to get most of the facts mixed up.
His problem is that he is not a good listener. Could you help him to become
an effective listener? Please give him a few tips.

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................

30

Glossary

1.10

Competence:

the ability to do something well

Genuine:

real; sincere

POWERFUL SPEECH
To pack power into your speech:

Avoid expressions that show you are not sure of yourself like "I guess" and
"kind of"

Remove expressions that show hesitation like "uh" and "you know"

Avoid tag questions - "Communication is important, isn't it?"

Use action verbs

Use active voice: "I will complete this report today" instead of "This report
will be completed by me today."

Be clear in what you say.

Why should you pack power into your speech?

People who talk powerfully are accepted as being more credible, attractive and
persuasive.
Powerful talk comes directly to the point.
Powerful talk does not show hesitation.
Powerful talk involves the use of lively, vivid language
Now that you have gone through the fundamentals of communication, you can
certainly understand the importance of communication in your life, especially if
you want to climb the ladder of success.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 9
1.

List three expressions, other than those mentioned in the text, that can show
hesitation.

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
31

2.

Give two reasons for the need to pack power into your speech.

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
Glossary
Credible:
1.11

able to be trusted or believed

LET US SUMMARISE
In this unit we have learnt that:

1.12

Communication involves a sender and a receiver

Communication is not complete unless the desired response or result is

achieved

Verbal communication involves both spoken and written communication

Hairstyles, color of clothing, and even silence can be modes of non-verbal

communication

Communication can have many barriers like physical, perceptual,

emotional, cultural, physiological

Poor knowledge of language could also pose a barrier to communication

Poor listening plays a role in miscommunication

Listening is different from hearing

There are many types of listening

We can become effective listeners by overcoming listening barriers

We can use simple yet effective ways to become powerful speakers

SUGGESTED SITES
http://ezinearticles.com/?Fundamentals-of-Communication&id=137356
http://lynn_meade.tripod.com/id193.htm
http://www.mindtools.com/page8.html
http://www.infoplease.com/homework/listeningskills1.html
http://esl.about.com/od/listeningquizzes/English_Listening_Comprehension_Quizz
es_for_ESL_EFL.htm
32