LISTENING

Little known facts about Listening

Research studies have found that:
1. The average listening efficiency rate is only 25 per cent. 2. Immediately after a 10 minute presentation, a normal listener can recall only 50 per cent of the information conveyed. 3. After 24 hours the recall level is only 25 per cent.

Little known facts about Listening

4. Adults spend about 29.5 % of their waking hours listening. 5. On an average, personnel at all levels spend about 32.7% of their time listening. 6. Speaking takes up 25.8% of their time and writing 22.6%. 7. Top executives spend even more time listening than other employees. 8. Stephen Covey identifies listening as one of the seven habits of highly effective people.

The cycle of listening comprises two stages: 1. Encoding and transmission of the message by the sender. 2. Decoding and providing the required feedback by the receiver. Listening comprises three stages: 1. Levelling 2. Sharpening 3. Assimilation Successful progression and completion of these three stages determine the accuracy of the listening process.

Stages of Listening
1. Levelling : Mind is kept open for inflow of information. Thereafter sifting of information follows. Sensical is separated from nonsensical. Desired material is retained and rest is dumped and discarded. 2. Sharpening : Focusing on or sharpening of verbal inputs by the mental filters. 3. Assimilation : This is the final stage where assimilation of relevant texts takes place.

TYPES OF LISTENING
The crucial amongst the various types of listening are: Passive listening
Marginal listening
Projective listening

Sensitive/Empathetic
Active listening

TYPES OF LISTENING
1. Passive listening: The physical presence but mental absence of the listener can be defined as passive listening or hearing. o All spoken messages are heard but not absorbed. o Utterances sink in the mind of the individual in the form of a heap of verbal garbage without any actual processing. o The onus of making the receiver a passive listener rests squarely on the shoulders of the sender.

TYPES OF LISTENING
2. Marginal listening: Provision of too much/uninteresting/unrelated information often lead to marginal listening. o Listening happens at the superficial level and the listener does not attempt to go beyond a brief understanding of the topic discussed. o The most common factor that can be attributed to this kind of listening is fatigue or boredom. o Information seeps in the mind only in bits and pieces. o ML is better than passive listening.

3. Projective listening: Here, the responses of the receiver are in a state of restful alertness. o Each individual has a frame of reference in which the perspective of the co-interactant is absorbed or at least attempted to. o The image of a camera can be used to understand the concept. o The receiver tries to bring about a union between the experiences of the sender and the self in such a manner as if it were a combination of micro and the macro. o Micro is the narrow perspective of the receiver, while the macro is the broader perspective presented by the sender.

TYPES OF LISTENING

TYPES OF LISTENING
4. Sensitive listening: Sensitive and empathetic are two terms which, when used for listening can be understood as synonyms. o Here the receiver is able to understand the viewpoint of the speaker in exactly the same terms as intended. o It is a myth to presume that words always mean the same to everyone because the meanings assigned to spoken words lie in our perceptions, and not in words. o Instance of PLC. o In sensitive or empathetic listening, an attempt is made to decipher the meaning of the statement in relation to the perceptions and experiences of the sender.

.It is not a easy task, especially if the sender is a new person about whom little or nothing is known. o To understand the message in a more meaningful way, it is necessary for the receiver to raise queries. o Sensitive listening, however, is not a very useful tool for enhancing communication. o J Krishnamurti remarked: so when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.

TYPES OF LISTENING

5. Active listening: In this form of listening, the receiver absorbs all that is being said and also makes an attempt to verify all that has been said. o It is a well-researched fact that listening can never completely take place in accordance with the communicative intent of the speaker. o However, we can postulate that a combination of active and empathetic listening is the perfect or ideal form of listening. o Active listening is not solely a product of the capabilities of the listener. Warning: Listeners can actively stay tuned to a presentation only if the communication style is impressive and the content thought-provoking.

TYPES OF LISTENING

 Listening skills can be improved with conscious effort. Lets see the differences between good listener and bad listener.
TO LISTEN EFFECTIVELY THE BAD LISTENER
1. Find areas of interest
2. Judge content, not delivery 3. Hold your fire

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER

THE GOOD LISTENER

Asks, what is in it for me?
Judges content; skips over delivery error Doesnt judge until comprehension is complete; interrupts only to clarify. Listens for central themes. Works hard; exhibits active body state Fights or avoids distractions; tolerates bad habits; knows how to focus.

Tunes out dry subjects

Tunes out if delivery is poor Tends to enter into argument Listens for facts Shows no energy output; fakes attention Is distracted easily

4. Listen for ideas 5. Work at listening 6. Resist distractions

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER

TO LISTEN EFFECTIVELY THE BAD LISTENER
7. Exercise your mind

THE GOOD LISTENER

Resists difficult Uses heavier material as expository material; exercise for the mind. seeks light, recreational material to emotional Interprets emotional words; doesnt get hung up on them.

8. Keep your mind open Reacts words

Lets now look at some of the specific steps we can take to become a better listener. 1. Be motivated to listen: Researchers have concluded that the more motivated a listener is, the more active and alert he becomes as a receiver. This is the first prerequisite to becoming a good listener.

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER

2. Be prepared to listen: Sometimes we need to make preparations beforehand in order to listen effectively. It is helpful to gather as much information as you can about the subject, the speaker and the solution. Preparation also includes attempts to minimize physiological barriers and elimination of distractions. 3. Be objective: You are more receptive to a message when you approach it with an open mind.

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER

To be objective, one must avoid jumping to conclusions. Objective listening entails a conscious effort to keep our emotions and prejudices at bay. 4. Be alert to all cues: look for the speakers main ideas. The speakers voice quality, inflection, emphasis and body movement offer vital clues to what the speaker feels. These clues also gives you insights into the emotional content of the speakers message, which must be considered for better understanding.

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER

5. Make good use of the thinking-speaking time difference: If you are a listener you can use this gap to your advantage by mentally summarizing and reviewing what the speaker has said. 6. Use feedback: is one way you can get more from your communication encounters. Feedback may be as simple as telling the sender that you dont understand. Use this technique prudently.

HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER

7. Practice Listening: Proficiency in listening like in any other skill, is the result of conscious effort. Many of the barriers to effective listening can be successfully overcome through practice. Force yourself to listen to speeches and lectures that seem to hold no obvious interest value. You will not switch off when the message sounds difficult. 8. Use verbal and nonverbal cues to encourage the speaker: Sometimes nodding the head slightly or casual remarks like I see can tell the speaker that you are actively involved.