THE ART OF LISTENING IN THE WORKPLACE Introduction

About the Author: CHRIS TION (Managing Partner- BohoMedia Limited ction@bohomedialtd.com +234 803 345 7453

Listening is a very demanding process and perhaps the most critical element in language and language learning, for it is the key to speaking, and beyond that, reading and writing, (Rivers, 1981). Particularly in the workplace, listening is used at least three times as much as speaking, and four to five times as much as reading and writing. At all levels --- from entry level to managerial --- listening is perceived as crucial for communication, (Dozer, 1991). To better come to terms with the importance of listening, lets reflect on our typical day; experts say we spend 80 percent of our waking hours communicating, and over 45 percent of that time listening to others - spouses, children, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances, (Shepell, 2005). What that means is that almost half of our communicating time is taken up by listening! Listening then is no doubt an important communication skill; no wonder the majority of executives in corporate America list listening as the most important skill in the workplace. However considering its importance, how much time do we devote to honing it? The answer is unfortunately, VERY LITTLE! No wonder too then that listening skills are also rated as the most lacking skill in the workforce in America! In my four years of speaking to people about Listening Skills in Nigeria, I have discovered that most of us take listening for granted. We believe that since we can hear then we are good listeners. How untrue! In the next couple of minutes, we will find out what listening really is, the types of listeners that we are, why we are poor listeners, the benefits of effective listening, and most of all, how we can become good listeners. Why the Art of Listening? Before we delve into the crux of this paper however lets put the topic into proper perspective.

One of the meanings of art according to Microsoft Encarta, is that it is the ability to do something well. Listening on its part is paying close attention to what we hear so as to make meaning out of it. Listening is a process. Titling this paper The Art of Listening means that, we recognize that the process of listening is a skill, and that it can be learnt and improved upon like any other skill. It also means that we recognize the fact that we all possess the ability to listen very well. Your partaking in this paper therefore is an opportunity to improve on your listening skills, so you can reap the abundant benefits that is the prerogative of an effective listener. The Meaning of Listening It is imperative that from the get go we understand what listening is, and early on make the distinction between listening and hearing very clear. Hearing, according to Newby and Popelka (1992:5-59), is a physiological process, involving the vibration of sound waves on our eardrums and the firing of electrochemical impulses from the inner ear to the central auditory system of the brain. However, listening observes Lucas (2001:56), is paying close attention to, and making sense of what we hear. What this means is that hearing, as opposed to listening, is recognition of sounds, including words, around you. When you walk into a busy office you hear a lot of words from various conversations nearby. For the most part you catch a phrase or word here and there. When you focus in on the words in a particular conversation and begin to interpret, evaluate meaning, and put the words in context, then you're listening. Furthermore, hearing often goes in one ear and out the other. When you simply hear something in a meeting, later you say, "I wish I could remember what she said!" When you listen, you remember conversations and directions for varying lengths of time. Several studies (Nichols 1995) have shown that even when we think we are listening carefully, we usually grasp only 50 percent of what we hear. After two days we can remember only half of that- or 25 percent of the original message.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE: The Art of Listening

Conversely then, it is safe to say that most of us truly listen only 25% of the time. The other 75% is spent just hearing or in listening poorly. That leaves, for most of us, the potential for tremendous improvement. In positive terms, then, even increasing your listening ability by 10% or 15% will give a significant boost to your workplace performance. Listening is a process that involves reception, perception, attention, the assignment of meaning, and response to the passage presented. This process is a very complex one, to be effective; the listener must be active to avoid certain barriers that may arise.
EXERCISE 1 Take a moment to assess your listening skills. Circle a Yes or No in response to the following questions: 1. Does your mind wander when listening to a co-worker, to your manager, or in a meeting? Yes No 2. Do you often talk more than half the time in workplace conversations and meetings? Yes No 3. Do you frequently interrupt the person to whom you are listening? Yes No 4. Do you generally attempt to listen to several conversations at the same time in a busy office or meeting? Yes No 5. Do you generally finish the sentences of a co-worker as she speaks? Yes No 6. Do you spend time thinking of an answer to a co-worker's situation while he is still explaining it to you? Yes No 7. Do you find yourself frequently pretending to pay attention, but having a difficult time recalling workplace conversations later? Yes No 8. Do you allow external things such as machinery noise and other conversations to keep you from listening well? Yes No

How did you do? Did you circle many "No" answers? If so, your listening skills are in pretty good shape, though probably any of us could use improvement. Did you circle many "Yes" answers? Then you will begin to see an immediate boost in your listening skills after you have finished this workshop and begin to

apply the ideas and techniques offered.

Types of Listeners Taking a look at your listening habits is the first step towards becoming a better listener. Most of us have a number of listening faults. So don't be surprised if you identify yourself in more than one of these illustrations. Lets share the categories of listeners as put forward by Warren Shapell.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE: The Art of Listening

Which of These Listeners are you? The Biased Listener-Usually, the biased listener isn't listening. The biased listener has tuned out and is planning what to say next, based on some fixed idea a of his or her age, accent, or occupation. Ask yourself: Are my biases a barrier to listening? The road to tuned-in listening begins with a deliberate effort to get rid of preconceived ideas, in order to give others a fair hearing.

The Distracted Listener-All of us fit into this category at one time or another. Distracted listeners allow internal or external distractions to prevent them from giving others their undivided attention. Unfortunately, a lot of distracted listeners don't realize that it's important to get ready to listen. You can't turn yourself into an attentive listener unless you make a deliberate effort to tune out internal distractions and concentrate on what the speaker is saying. If this is not possible, it may be better to set another time to meet with and listen to that person so that he or she can have your undivided attention. For the most part, external distractions can be eliminated, by simply finding a quiet place for your important conversations, where you'll be free from interruptions. The Impatient Listener-The impatient listener is one who interrupts and seldom lets people finish what they have to say. It can be easy to slip into this habit. If you find it extremely frustrating to listen to people who, perhaps, talk slowly, then you are probably an impatient listener. Becoming a patient listener involves making an effort not to interrupt. At first, you'll find it difficult to listen without interrupting. But you'll be pleasantly surprised when the lines of communication open up. Remember, if you have been courteous enough to others, more often than not, they'll listen to you. The Passive Listener-The passive listener does not realize that listening is an active process. When we are engaged in conversation with this type of listener, we are never sure if our message is understood. Why? Simply because we receive little or no feedback. Obviously, this can cause plenty of communication problems. A telephone conversation with a passive listener is even more difficult than a faceto-face conversation. More often than not, a speaker's words are met with stony silence. That is why people often wonder if their call has been disconnected. If you are having a telephone conversation and have the person on the other line ask "Are you still there?" it may be because you have not been communicating to him or her that you are listening. If you have a tendency to be a passive listener, try turning yourself into a responsive listener by providing people with more feedback. Just lean slightly forward, establish eye contact, and nod or smile when appropriate. An occasional
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE: The Art of Listening

remark such as "I see," "uh-huh" or "yes" can be used when the conversation is either face-to-face or by phone.

Why we are Poor Listeners On the strength of available literature on listening it is incontestable that the generality of people are poor listeners. The question begging to be answered is; why are we poor listeners? The answers to this question are both revealing and interesting. The first reason for our listening difficulties is actually a physiological one. Our capacity to listen ranges from 400 to 600 words a minute, while the average speaking rate is about 125 words per minute. This can give us plenty of time to think about other things while a person is talking to us. Another major reason for our habit of listening poorly may be lack of training. We teach reading, writing, and speaking in our schools. Adults take courses in speed reading, business writing, and public speaking. Yet, despite all of our attempts at improving communications, we often neglect the communication skill used the most often - listening. Ask yourself these questions. Have I ever learnt how to listen? Have I ever been taught how to listen? Most of us are masters at rehearsing during a conversation. This negative attitude permits us to give the appearance of listening when in fact we are formulating a response to what the speaker is saying.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE: The Art of Listening

Judging the speaker during a conversation also makes us poor listeners. Judging is the mental-emotional act of looking down at someone and finding fault. It is the most utilized block against listening to other peoples point of view. This reason is interesting. Since there is plenty of easy listening available most of us choose to avoid even moderately difficult expository presentations in one's leisure listening time. This avoidance can adversely affect or handicap anyone who needs to use listening as a learning tool. Another reason for poor listening is that we may be too busy to focus exclusively on another individual. Have you ever been too busy to lend a sympathetic ear or really listen to your mate discuss his or her frustrations? Sometimes we don't listen to others because we think that they expect us to solve their problems. Yet, few of our colleagues, friends and relatives really want us to organize their finances, find them new mates or solve their work frustrations. Oftentimes they want to share their thoughts and feelings with us, and want only for us to understand and appreciate what they are going through. Finally, we are often guilty of paying too much attention to the outward appearance of our co-conversationalists that we tune out their messages if their appearance doesnt meet our expectations. These are just few; yes few reasons why we are poor listeners. So many other reasons abound.

Your Rewards for Listening Effectively Developing listening skills is very important for various reasons. Here are some of the many benefits you get out of becoming a good listener. Get Things Done Right the First Time

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE: The Art of Listening

What percentage of your work must be redone because you missed key steps when the procedure was being explained? Listening well helps you to get the instructions, and therefore the work, right the first time. Learn More Effective listeners are able to get the "big picture" faster in their organizations because they've taken the time to access the resources around them: co-workers and managers or supervisors. Employees increase their value to the organization by listening to others. They understand more about their products and services, as well as know where to go for answers when they do get into a jam. When a Listener Speaks, People Listen Another benefit of being a good listener is that when you do speak, your words are valued more. You've earned the right to be listened to by listening first. And, since you talk less, your words increase in value, because they are a rarer commodity for you than for the person who is always talking. Increase in Office Harmony An effective listener is usually better in a conflict situation, more likely to see each viewpoint in a problem-solving session, and generally earns greater respect in the workplace than a poor listener. Without becoming the office `counselor,' a good listener knows co-workers sometimes simply need to be heard, and, by offering a few minutes, is able to relieve tension and assist them in getting back to a productive level of work. An effective listener contributes to office harmony to the same degree that a poor listener takes away from it: significantly! Respect When you listen to the other person with full attention, it shows that you are giving respect to the person. By giving the person respect, you gain his/her respect and love. Understanding Listening skills will help you in knowing more about the person which can be helpful in your professional life as well as personal life. (Imagine the benefits if you can
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE: The Art of Listening

know and understand your boss, colleagues, customers, spouse, friends, neighbours etc. better). Friendship By knowing more about the other person, you increase your chances of making friends with him/her. You endear yourself in their eyes. You can improve relationships with people by being a good and sympathetic listener to their concerns and problems. Conversational Skills Listening skills help in improving conversation skills, and you can avoid many confusions, misunderstandings and conflicts if only you develop the willingness to lend more attentive ears to the speaker. Now that you know some of the benefits of listening skills, read below a few tips to help you become a good listener How we can Become Good Listeners Poor listening ability like most bad habits is not easy to overcome, but it CAN be overcome. Make no mistake though, listening is not a passive activity to get it right takes determination, humility, hard work, and practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice. There are many ways to improve our listening skills but lets look at these few from Puget Sound Business Journal- by Paul Bauck as a guide: Set the Right Atmosphere Some workplaces seem tailor-made for good listening. They are quiet, people's offices are private, and seating is arranged to be conducive to effective listening. Other workplaces are just the opposite. The place is buzzing with noise, offices are really just cubicles around which there is a continual flow of traffic, and seating is far apart so employees have to nearly shout to carry on a conversation. A part of your task as a listener, is to set the atmosphere you need most to do this important work effectively. Minimize Distractions
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE: The Art of Listening

What is a distraction to one employee may not be to another. However, the point here is to minimize, as much as possible, what is distracting to you. On an external level, then, that may mean closing your office door, finding an empty meeting room, putting your phone on voice mail, and literally setting aside the work in front of you. We can become distracted internally as well. If a co-worker begins to talk and you are thinking to yourself, "I wonder how long this will take. I've got to get this report done. Oh, and I've got to remember to change those sales figures," then you aren't able to really listen. It is much better to say, "I'd really like to give you my full attention. How much time do you think we'll need?" If you don't have the time available at the moment, set an appointment. Your mental clock ticking inside, reminding you of all the work you haven't done yet, can be a terrible distraction to effective listening. If you have made an appointment, then you've set the time aside exclusively for listening, and you are going to do a better job.

Show Interest You've probably been in situations where another person was clearly not interested in what you were talking about. He didn't have to say it; you could see it in his body language. He was looking around, distracted, slouching in his chair, playing with his pen. Effective listeners not only are interested, they look interested. You can make several adjustments to your body language that will invite co-workers to talk to you. These adjustments will also help you listen more effectively. Eye contact. Without staring at your co-worker, steady eye contact communicates, "I'm with you. I'm listening." Facial expressions. Listening with a "stone" face communicates any number of things: shock, "I don't really want to be here," and so on. Nodding, not necessarily in agreement, but acknowledging what your co-worker says, is helpful. Use facial expressions appropriate to the topic. If its a serious topic, like a workplace complaint, have a serious, though not dramatic, look. If it's an informational topic, show interest by adopting a studious look. If the topic is unclear as you begin the
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE: The Art of Listening

conversation, smile pleasantly, as that invites a person to begin. Body position. Leaning back in your chair indicates a casual interest in the speaker and the topic. Sometimes that will be appropriate. But most often, you will want to express a keener interest by leaning forward in your chair, indicating that the speaker has your full attention. Take a few notes as needed. Your retention is usually increased if you use two "receptors" at the same time-listening and writing. However, you must be careful to avoid either extreme in this activity. One extreme would be to write your notes as if taking dictation. It is distracting to the speaker, and you aren't really focused on listening, but on note taking. The other extreme is to automatically assume, "I'll remember that," and to refuse to take any notes at all. Always preface pulling out a pen and paper with, "Would it be all right if I take a few notes as we talk?" This shows consideration to your. co-worker and communicates your interest as well. If note taking seems inappropriate or the speaker requests that it not be done, an alternative is to quickly summarize on paper to yourself the highlights of the conversation after the co-worker has left. Either way, note taking will increase your memory of the conversation. As you begin to integrate these techniques into your listening habits, they will at first seem forced and mechanical. But, as with any new skill, with practice they will become your own, and you will develop them within your own personality and work style. Exercise 2 Which of the tips to minimize distractions do you most need to apply, given the general noise level and atmosphere of your workplace? Jot down each of the major points under the showing interest discussion: eye contact, facial expressions, body position, and taking notes. Choose a very recent workplace conversation that involved a lot of listening on your part. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 signifying "great" and 5 signifying "it really needs work") on each point. __________eye contact __________facial expressions __________body position __________taking notes Using Paraphrase
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Do effective listeners speak while listening? Absolutely. Paraphrasing is both the way to make sure you are properly interpreting what you are listening to, as well as a signal to the speaker that you are ready for his/her to go on to the next point. Paraphrasing can be defined as stating in your own words what you have just listened to from the speaker at appropriate pauses in the conversation. You are offering the speaker an opportunity to clarify an area you may have misunderstood or to put greater emphasis on a point she has just made. You are also conveying, "I'm with you. Please continue." A paraphrase needs to be a short summation of what you have listened to thus far, not quoting back to the speaker the exact words he/she just used. Ask Clarifying Questions "Well, I just assumed I knew what she meant." How often have you walked away from a workplace conversation firmly believing you understood the major points, only to find out later that the speaker thought she had conveyed an entirely different meaning? Sometimes we completely get the wrong message, or we understand only part of the whole message. To avoid those all-too-frequent outcomes, effective listening requires that you ask clarifying questions. Different than paraphrasing, a clarifying question focuses on a specific point that seems unclear to you. Rather than just assuming you understand, you need to check out your assumptions with the co-worker by asking questions. The emphasis when asking a clarifying question is to increase your understanding of the speaker's intent, not to convey, "You're not explaining this very well." If you begin a clarifying question with, "This is really hard to follow. Let me stop you and ask some questions," you are likely to alienate the speaker. A more pleasant way to communicate that feeling is, "I'm having a little trouble following several of the points here. May I ask a couple of questions that will help me better understand?" When asking questions while listening, you must avoid several other errors that will stall communication. First, ask only one question at a time. If not, the conversation quickly takes on an interrogation mode and becomes muddled in confusion. Don't, for example, ask, "What is it about the budgeting that concerns you? And can you
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further explain the new idea for a message system? Didn't you also mention a change in scheduling for the delivery of 'supplies?" Each is a good question, but not all of them at once. Second, avoid judgmental questions: This is a not-so-subtle insult and impedes communication. A constructive criticism is valid, but don't bring it up under the guise of a clarifying question. An example of a judgmental question is, "You don't mean to tell me you're having a hard time working with our new computer software, do you?" A more subtle type of judgmental question occurs when you offer an analysis before all the facts have come in. At a pause too soon in the conversation, then, an early analyzer might say, "So your real problem is with how the work assignments are communicated to you, not what kind of work you have been assigned to do, right?" A question like that usually draws defensiveness. A more effective way to gain the same information but asked in a clarifying manner is, "I think I'm getting confused on where the problem lies here. Is the problem more with the kind of work you're being assigned to do itself, or in how that work is being communicated to you?" In an open-ended way you have allowed your co-worker to make things clear, rather than assuming or judging. A good clarifying question, then, is nonjudgmental and is Talking Point 1 asked one at a time. An
A big part of being an effective team member is being a good listener. Do you think your listening skills could use some improving? Simply remember the LADDER to become a better listener important way to use clarifying questions is as a bridge, summarizing one major

point just before the speaker moves on toyou make eye contact, canspeaker feels like he has Look at the person speaking to you. If the next one. You the say something like,
your undivided attention. If an individual comes into your office to talk, stop what you're doing. "Before we move on, let me just ask a question or two to help my understanding of When you continue typing or the situation thus far." Or, "I staring to your computerI'm with you before we move to want at make sure screen, the person talking to you feels insignificant.

another area. Is your understanding of the deadline that the proposal must be in by the first of next month?" you interrupt, the speaker feels you're not interested in what he's Don't interrupt. When Remember, just relax andquestionsears! meant to assist you in understanding the listen clarifying open your are speaker, but they the subject. Changinglistening. You are that your mind to elsewhere. It Don't change also improve your the subject indicates more likely is listen better when shows you're not concentrating on what's being said at that moment, and this makes the actively seeking to offer a good clarifying question. Effective listening means making sure your interpretation matches what the speaker intended to say.
that you're avoiding the topic and may be hesitant to bring it up again. speaker feel insignificant. If you change the subject, the speaker could also get the impression Empathize. When someone shares information with you, put yourself in his shoes. Doing this will allow the two of you to discover solutions more easily and will also help you appreciate a perspective different from your own.IN THE WORKPLACE: The Art of Listening EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION what the speaker is saying. Smiling helps too! Avoid crossing your arms since this can be 12 Respond verbally and non-verbally. Using an enthusiastic tone shows you're interested in saying and will be frustrated by the inability to finish a complete thought. Take the time to Ask questions. This shows you're interested and that you're hearing what he's saying.

Respect the other Person Unless you respect the other person, you will be unwilling to lend an attentive ear to him/her. If you develop the habit of respecting everyone, you may find that people start respecting you more too. In addition to respect, also try to develop genuine interest and liking for people. This will add warmth to your interactions with them. There are as many tips for effective listening as there are experts on the topic; look around you and with the above ideas in mind see how you can improve your listening skills. You have what it takes to make a difference just dig in and start to practice! Good luck!

References Duzer, C.A., (1997) Improving ESL Learners Listening Skills: At the Workplace and Beyond Center for Applied Linguistics N J Get PDF version of this article; http://www.springinstitute.org/Files/listeningwkplc.pdf.
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Lucas, S. (2001) The art of public speaking. (7th ed.) New York: McGraw Hill Companies

Nichols, M. P. (1995) The lost art of listening. New York: Guiford

Rivers, W.M. (1981). Teaching foreign language skills (2nd ed) Chicago: University of Chicago Press

Shepell, W. (2005) Listen up! enhancing our listening skills HealthQuest Journal

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