INTRODUCTION

• LISTENING IS THE ABILITY TO ACCURATELY RECEIVE AND INTERPRET MESSAGES IN THE COMMUNICATION
PROCESS.
• LISTENING IS KEY TO ALL EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION. WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO LISTEN EFFECTIVELY,
MESSAGES ARE EASILY MISUNDERSTOOD. AS A RESULT, COMMUNICATION BREAKS DOWN AND THE
SENDER OF THE MESSAGE CAN EASILY BECOME FRUSTRATED OR IRRITATED.
• IF THERE IS ONE COMMUNICATION SKILL YOU SHOULD AIM TO MASTER, THEN LISTENING IS IT.
THE 10 PRINCIPLES OF LISTENING
A GOOD LISTENER WILL LISTEN NOT ONLY TO WHAT IS BEING SAID, BUT ALSO TO WHAT IS LEFT UNSAID OR ONLY
PARTIALLY SAID . EFFECTIVE LISTENING THEREFORE INVOLVES OBSERVING BODY LANGUAGE AND NOTICING
INCONSISTENCIES BETWEEN VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL MESSAGES, AS WELL AS JUST WHAT IS BEING SAID AT ANY
GIVEN MOMENT.
• 1. STOP TALKING
DON'T TALK, LISTEN.
• WHEN SOMEBODY ELSE IS TALKING LISTEN TO WHAT THEY ARE SAYING, DO NOT INTERRUPT, TALK OVER THEM OR
FINISH THEIR SENTENCES FOR THEM. STOP, JUST LISTEN.
• WHEN THE OTHER PERSON HAS FINISHED TALKING YOU MAY NEED TO CLARIFY TO ENSURE YOU HAVE RECEIVED THEIR
MESSAGE ACCURATELY.
2. PREPARE YOURSELF TO LISTEN
RELAX.
• FOCUS ON THE SPEAKER. PUT OTHER THINGS OUT OF MIND. THE HUMAN MIND IS EASILY DISTRACTED BY
OTHER THOUGHTS – WHAT’S FOR LUNCH, WHAT TIME DO I NEED TO LEAVE TO CATCH MY TRAIN, IS IT
GOING TO RAIN – TRY TO PUT OTHER THOUGHTS OUT OF MIND AND CONCENTRATE ON THE MESSAGES
THAT ARE BEING COMMUNICATED.
3. PUT THE SPEAKER AT EASE
HELP THE SPEAKER TO FEEL FREE TO SPEAK.
• REMEMBER THEIR NEEDS AND CONCERNS. NOD OR USE OTHER GESTURES OR WORDS TO ENCOURAGE
THEM TO CONTINUE.
• MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT BUT DON’T STARE – SHOW YOU ARE LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS
BEING SAID.
4. REMOVE DISTRACTIONS

FOCUS ON WHAT IS BEING SAID.

• DON’T DOODLE, SHUFFLE PAPERS, LOOK OUT THE WINDOW, PICK YOUR FINGERNAILS OR SIMILAR. AVOID
UNNECESSARY INTERRUPTIONS. THESE BEHAVIOURS DISRUPT THE LISTENING PROCESS AND SEND
MESSAGES TO THE SPEAKER THAT YOU ARE BORED OR DISTRACTED.
5. EMPATHISE
TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE OTHER PERSON’S POINT OF VIEW.
• LOOK AT ISSUES FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE. LET GO OF PRECONCEIVED IDEAS. BY HAVING AN OPEN MIND
WE CAN MORE FULLY EMPATHISE WITH THE SPEAKER. IF THE SPEAKER SAYS SOMETHING THAT YOU
DISAGREE WITH THEN WAIT AND CONSTRUCT AN ARGUMENT TO COUNTER WHAT IS SAID BUT KEEP AN
OPEN MIND TO THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF OTHERS
6. BE PATIENT

A PAUSE, EVEN A LONG PAUSE, DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE SPEAKER HAS FINISHED.
• BE PATIENT AND LET THE SPEAKER CONTINUE IN THEIR OWN TIME, SOMETIMES IT TAKES TIME TO
FORMULATE WHAT TO SAY AND HOW TO SAY IT. NEVER INTERRUPT OR FINISH A SENTENCE FOR SOMEONE.
7. AVOID PERSONAL PREJUDICE
TRY TO BE IMPARTIAL.
• DON'T BECOME IRRITATED AND DON'T LET THE PERSON’S HABITS OR MANNERISMS DISTRACT YOU FROM
WHAT THE SPEAKER IS REALLY SAYING
• EVERYBODY HAS A DIFFERENT WAY OF SPEAKING - SOME PEOPLE ARE FOR EXAMPLE MORE NERVOUS OR
SHY THAN OTHERS, SOME HAVE REGIONAL ACCENTS OR MAKE EXCESSIVE ARM MOVEMENTS, SOME
PEOPLE LIKE TO PACE WHILST TALKING - OTHERS LIKE TO SIT STILL
• FOCUS ON WHAT IS BEING SAID AND TRY TO IGNORE STYLES OF DELIVERY
8. LISTEN TO THE TONE

VOLUME AND TONE BOTH ADD TO WHAT SOMEONE IS SAYING.

• A GOOD SPEAKER WILL USE BOTH VOLUME AND TONE TO THEIR ADVANTAGE TO KEEP AN AUDIENCE
ATTENTIVE; EVERYBODY WILL USE PITCH, TONE AND VOLUME OF VOICE IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS – LET
THESE HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE EMPHASIS OF WHAT IS BEING SAID.
9. LISTEN FOR IDEAS – NOT JUST WORDS
YOU NEED TO GET THE WHOLE PICTURE, NOT JUST ISOLATED BITS AND PIECES.
• MAYBE ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECTS OF LISTENING IS THE ABILITY TO LINK TOGETHER PIECES OF
INFORMATION TO REVEAL THE IDEAS OF OTHERS. WITH PROPER CONCENTRATION, LETTING GO OF
DISTRACTIONS, AND FOCUS THIS BECOMES EASIER.
10. WAIT AND WATCH FOR NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
GESTURES, FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, AND EYE-MOVEMENTS CAN ALL BE IMPORTANT.
• WE DON’T JUST LISTEN WITH OUR EARS BUT ALSO WITH OUR EYES – WATCH AND PICK UP THE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BEING TRANSMITTED VIA NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
ARE WE LISTENING OR JUST HEARING?
ACTIVE LISTENING (FOCUSED)
TYPES OF LISTENING
GENERAL LISTENING TYPES:
• THE TWO MAIN TYPES OF LISTENING - THE FOUNDATIONS OF ALL LISTENING SUB-TYPES ARE:
• DISCRIMINATIVE LISTENING
• COMPREHENSIVE LISTENING

THE THREE MAIN TYPES OF LISTENING MOST COMMON IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION ARE:

• INFORMATIONAL LISTENING (LISTENING TO LEARN)

• CRITICAL LISTENING (LISTENING TO EVALUATE AND ANALYSE)
• THERAPEUTIC OR EMPATHETIC LISTENING (LISTENING TO UNDERSTAND FEELING AND EMOTION)
•
DISCRIMINATIVE LISTENING
• DISCRIMINATIVE LISTENING IS FIRST DEVELOPED AT A VERY EARLY AGE – PERHAPS EVEN BEFORE BIRTH, IN THE
WOMB. THIS IS THE MOST BASIC FORM OF LISTENING AND DOES NOT INVOLVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE
MEANING OF WORDS OR PHRASES BUT MERELY THE DIFFERENT SOUNDS THAT ARE PRODUCED. IN EARLY
CHILDHOOD, FOR EXAMPLE, A DISTINCTION IS MADE BETWEEN THE SOUNDS OF THE VOICES OF THE PARENTS –
THE VOICE OF THE FATHER SOUNDS DIFFERENT TO THAT OF THE MOTHER.
• DISCRIMINATIVE LISTENING DEVELOPS THROUGH CHILDHOOD AND INTO ADULTHOOD. AS WE GROW OLDER
AND DEVELOP AND GAIN MORE LIFE EXPERIENCE, OUR ABILITY TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN DIFFERENT SOUNDS
IS IMPROVED. NOT ONLY CAN WE RECOGNISE DIFFERENT VOICES, BUT WE ALSO DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO
RECOGNISE SUBTLE DIFFERENCES IN THE WAY THAT SOUNDS ARE MADE – THIS IS FUNDAMENTAL TO
ULTIMATELY UNDERSTANDING WHAT THESE SOUNDS MEAN.
EXAMPLE (DISCRIMINATIVE LISTENING)
• IMAGINE YOURSELF SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE SPEAKING A LANGUAGE THAT YOU CANNOT
UNDERSTAND. PERHAPS PASSING THROUGH AN AIRPORT IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. YOU CAN PROBABLY
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN DIFFERENT VOICES, MALE AND FEMALE, YOUNG AND OLD AND ALSO GAIN SOME
UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND YOU BASED ON THE TONE OF VOICE, MANNERISMS
AND BODY LANGUAGE OF THE OTHER PEOPLE. YOU ARE NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS BEING SAID BUT
USING DISCRIMINATIVE LISTENING TO GAIN SOME LEVEL OF COMPREHENSION OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS.
COMPREHENSIVE LISTENING
• COMPREHENSIVE LISTENING INVOLVES UNDERSTANDING THE MESSAGE OR MESSAGES THAT ARE BEING
COMMUNICATED. LIKE DISCRIMINATIVE LISTENING, COMPREHENSIVE LISTENING IS FUNDAMENTAL TO ALL
LISTENING SUB-TYPES.

IN ORDER TO BE ABLE USE COMPREHENSIVE LISTENING AND THEREFORE GAIN UNDERSTANDING THE LISTENER
FIRST NEEDS APPROPRIATE VOCABULARY AND LANGUAGE SKILLS. USING OVERLY COMPLICATED LANGUAGE OR
TECHNICAL JARGON, THEREFORE, CAN BE A BARRIER TO COMPREHENSIVE LISTENING. COMPREHENSIVE
LISTENING IS FURTHER COMPLICATED BY THE FACT THAT TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE LISTENING TO THE SAME
THING MAY UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS.
INFORMATIONAL LISTENING (LISTENING TO
LEARN)
• WHENEVER YOU LISTEN TO LEARN SOMETHING, YOU ARE ENGAGED IN INFORMATIONAL LISTENING. THIS IS TRUE IN MANY DAY-TO-
DAY SITUATIONS, IN EDUCATION AND AT WORK, WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THE NEWS, WATCH A DOCUMENTARY, WHEN A FRIEND TELLS
YOU A RECIPE OR WHEN YOU ARE TALKED-THROUGH A TECHNICAL PROBLEM WITH A COMPUTER – THERE ARE MANY OTHER
EXAMPLES OF INFORMATIONAL LISTENING TOO.

• ALTHOUGH ALL TYPES OF LISTENING ARE ‘ACTIVE’ – THEY REQUIRE CONCENTRATION AND A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND.
INFORMATIONAL LISTENING IS LESS ACTIVE THAN MANY OF THE OTHER TYPES OF LISTENING. WHEN WE’RE LISTENING TO LEARN OR
BE INSTRUCTED WE ARE TAKING IN NEW INFORMATION AND FACTS, WE ARE NOT CRITICISING OR ANALYSING. INFORMATIONAL
LISTENING, ESPECIALLY IN FORMAL SETTINGS LIKE IN WORK MEETINGS OR WHILE IN EDUCATION, IS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY NOTE
TAKING – A WAY OF RECORDING KEY INFORMATION SO THAT IT CAN BE REVIEWED LATER
CRITICAL LISTENING
• WE CAN BE SAID TO BE ENGAGED IN CRITICAL LISTENING WHEN THE GOAL IS TO EVALUATE OR SCRUTINISE WHAT IS
BEING SAID. CRITICAL LISTENING IS A MUCH MORE ACTIVE BEHAVIOUR THAN INFORMATIONAL LISTENING AND
USUALLY INVOLVES SOME SORT OF PROBLEM SOLVING OR DECISION MAKING. CRITICAL LISTENING IS AKIN TO
CRITICAL READING; BOTH INVOLVE ANALYSIS OF THE INFORMATION BEING RECEIVED AND ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT
WE ALREADY KNOW OR BELIEVE. WHEREAS INFORMATIONAL LISTENING MAY BE MOSTLY CONCERNED WITH
RECEIVING FACTS AND/OR NEW INFORMATION - CRITICAL LISTENING IS ABOUT ANALYSING OPINION AND MAKING A
JUDGEMENT.

• WHEN THE WORD ‘CRITICAL’ IS USED TO DESCRIBE LISTENING, READING OR THINKING IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY
MEAN THAT YOU ARE CLAIMING THAT THE INFORMATION YOU ARE LISTENING TO IS SOMEHOW FAULTY OR
FLAWED. RATHER, CRITICAL LISTENING MEANS ENGAGING IN WHAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO BY ASKING YOURSELF
QUESTIONS SUCH AS, ‘WHAT IS THE SPEAKER TRYING TO SAY?’ OR ‘WHAT IS THE MAIN ARGUMENT BEING
PRESENTED?’, ‘HOW DOES WHAT I’M HEARING DIFFER FROM MY BELIEFS, KNOWLEDGE OR OPINION?’. CRITICAL
LISTENING IS, THEREFORE, FUNDAMENTAL TO TRUE LEARNING.
THERAPEUTIC OR EMPATHIC(EMPATHETIC)
LISTENING
• EMPATHIC LISTENING INVOLVES ATTEMPTING TO UNDERSTAND THE FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS OF THE
SPEAKER – TO PUT YOURSELF INTO THE SPEAKER’S SHOES AND SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS
EMPATHY IS A WAY OF DEEPLY CONNECTING WITH ANOTHER PERSON AND THERAPEUTIC OR EMPATHIC
LISTENING CAN BE PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING. EMPATHY IS NOT THE SAME AS SYMPATHY, IT INVOLVES
MORE THAN BEING COMPASSIONATE OR FEELING SORRY FOR SOMEBODY ELSE – IT INVOLVES A DEEPER
CONNECTION – A REALISATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF ANOTHER PERSON’S POINT OF VIEW
BARRIERS TO LISTENING
A BARRIER IS ANYTHING THAT GETS IN THE WAY OF CLEAR COMMUNICATION. BELOW IS A LIST OF BARRIERS:
• PHYSICAL BARRIERS
• PHYSIOLOGICAL BARRIERS
• OVERLOAD OF THE MESSAGE
• EGO
• PERCEPTIONS
• POOR RETENTION
PHYSICAL BARRIERS

• PHYSICAL BARRIERS CONSIST OF ANY SOUND THAT PREVENTS A PERSON FROM BEING HEARD . PHYSICAL
NOISE INTERFERES WITH A SPEAKER’S ABILITY TO SEND MESSAGES AND WITH AN AUDIENCE’S ABILITY
TO RECEIVE THEM
• EXAMPLES: WHISPERS, CHEERS , PASSING CARS OR INTERCOM INTERRUPTIONS
PEOPLE RELATED BARRIERS
PHYSIOLOGICAL BARRIERS

• PHYSIOLOGICAL BARRIERS ARISE WHEN THE LISTENER SUFFERS FROM ILL HEALTH, FATIGUE ,
SLEEPLESSNESS , HEARING PROBLEMS AND THE LIKE
• IT MAY ALSO ARISE DUE TO ACCENT AND PRONUNCIATION SHORTCOMINGS OF THE SPEAKER
PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS COVER THE VALUE SYSTEM AND THE BEHAVIORAL ASPECTS . SOME EXAMPLES
WHERE LISTENING FAILS TO BE EFFECTIVE ON ACCOUNT OF PEOPLE RELATED BEHAVIORS ARE AS FOLLOWS :
• THE SPEAKER SPEAKS IN A SHRILL VOICE THAT DOES NOT REACH THE RECEIVER
• THE SPEAKER SPEAKS VERY RAPIDLY OR WITH AN ACCENT THAT IS NOT CLEAR
• THE RECEIVER OF THE MESSAGE DOES NOT CONSIDER THE SPEAKER TO BE WELL-INFORMED
• THE RECEIVER LETS THE MIND WANDER RATHER THAN STAY FOCUSED ON THE MESSAGE
• THE LISTENER PERCEIVES THE SPEAKER TO BE LACKING IN DEPTH OR NOT HAVING ADEQUATE AUTHORITY
OVERLOAD OF MESSAGE

• IT IS DIFFICULT FOR THE BRAIN TO DIGEST THE OVERLOADED MESSAGE

• WHEN THE MESSAGE IS LENGTHY OR ILLOGICAL IN SEQUENCING, IT BECOMES MORE PAINFUL TO RETAIN
THE CONCENTRATION
AS A RESULT, LISTENING BECOMES INEFFECTIVE.
EGO

• THINKING THAT MY OWN IDEAS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THOSE OF PERSONS OR “I AM ALWAYS
RIGHT” AND “ THE OTHER IS WRONG” IS THE MAJOR STUMBLING BLOCK IN THE WAY OF LISTENING
• LISTENING REQUIRES OPEN MIND AND HEART FREE FROM NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
• IF THE MIND IS CLOSED FOR THE OTHER PERSON’S MESSAGE, THERE WILL BE NO LISTENING
PERCEPTIONS

• OUR PERCEPTIONS ARE SELECTIVE AND LIMITED. AS A RESULT, WE INDULGE IN SELECTIVE LISTENING-
TAKING THE “DESIRED” PART AND LEAVING THE “UNDESIRED” PART OF THE MESSAGE.WE DO NOT LISTEN
WHAT THE OTHER IS SAYING BUT WHAT WE WANT TO LISTEN
POOR RETENTION

• IN A DIALOGUE OR A TWO WAY COMMUNICATION,THE SEQUENCE OF THOUGHT IS ESSENTIAL FOR

CARRYING ON COMMUNICATION.TO SPEAK COHERENTLY,ONE HAS TO REMEMBER THE SEQUENCE OF
IDEAS.THE SSTRUCTURE OF THOUGHT MUST BE RECEIVED AND RETAINED BY THE LISTENER TO
UNDERSTAND THE ARGUMENTS. THE CUES THAT SIGNAL THE MOVEMENT OF THOUGHT FROM ONE SET OF
IDEAS TO THE ANOTHER MUST BE RETAINED BY THE LISTENER TO BE ABLE TO GRASP THE FULL SENSE OF
MESSAGE DISCUSSED.