Unit 6 Listening
Unit 6 Listening
Unit 6 Listening
What is Listening?
• It helps us to understand the people and the world around us.
• In our society, listening is essential to the development and
survival of the individual.
• Relationships depends more on listening skills than on
speaking skills.
• A good listener is always in a better position to deal with his
problems and relationships.
• It helps a person to grow in his career.
• It keeps a person well informed
Guidelines for Effective
Listening
• Listening is very important aspect of communication. Around 20% of
overall communication is listening. Therefore, one should strive for
adopting good listening habit.
• There are following guidelines for good listening:
•
• Preparation before listening.
• Listening to understand, not to refute.
• Focusing the attention.
• Concentration on context.
• Taking notes.
Stages of Listening
• For example, you are giving positive feedback to your instructor if at the end of
class you stay behind to finish a sentence in your notes or approach the instructor
to ask for clarification. The opposite kind of feedback is given by students who
gather their belongings and rush out the door as soon as class is over.
• •This stage is represented by the lips because we often give feedback in the form of
verbal feedback; however, you can just as easily respond nonverbally.
Types of Listening
• Discriminative Listening
• Comprehensive Listening
• Critical Listening
• Evaluative
• Empathetic
• Therapeutic
• Active
• Passive
Discriminative Listening
• Discriminative listening is the most basic type of listening, whereby the difference
between difference sounds is identified. If you cannot hear differences, then you
cannot make sense of the meaning that is expressed by such differences.
• We learn to discriminate between sounds within our own language early, and later are
unable to discriminate between the phonemes of other languages. This is one reason
why a person from one country finds it difficult to speak another language perfectly,
as they are unable distinguish the subtle sounds that are required in that language.
• Likewise, a person who cannot hear the subtleties of emotional variation in another
person's voice will be less likely to be able to discern the emotions the other person is
experiencing.
• Listening is a visual as well as auditory act, as we communicate much through body
language. We thus also need to be able to discriminate between muscle and skeletal
movements that signify different meanings.
Comprehensive Listening
• The next step beyond discriminating between different sound and sights is to
make sense of them. To comprehend the meaning requires first having a
lexicon of words at our fingertips and also all rules of grammar and syntax
by which we can understand what others are saying.
• The same is true, of course, for the visual components of communication,
and an understanding of body language helps us understand what the other
person is really meaning.
• In communication, some words are more important and some less so, and
comprehension often benefits from extraction of key facts and items from a
long spiel.
• Comprehension listening is also known as content listening, informative
listening and full listening.
Difference between Discriminative
and Comprehensive Listening:
Critical listening
• Smile
• Small smiles can be used to show that the listener is paying attention to what is being said or as a way of agreeing or being happy
about the messages being received. Combined with nods of the head, smiles can be powerful in affirming that messages are
being listened to and understood.
• Eye Contact
• It is normal and usually encouraging for the listener to look at the speaker. Eye contact can however be intimidating, especially
for more shy speakers – gauge how much eye contact is appropriate for any given situation. Combine eye contact with smiles
and other non-verbal messages to encourage the speaker.
• Posture
• Posture can tell a lot about the sender and receiver in interpersonal interactions. The attentive listener tends to lean slightly
forward or sideways whilst sitting. Other signs of active listening may include a slight slant of the head or resting the head on
one hand.
• Mirroring
• Automatic reflection/mirroring of any facial expressions used by the speaker can be a sign of attentive listening. These reflective
expressions can help to show sympathy and empathy in more emotional situations. Attempting to consciously mimic facial
expressions (i.e. not automatic reflection of expressions) can be a sign of inattention.
• Distraction
• The active listener will not be distracted and therefore will refrain from fidgeting, looking at a clock or watch, doodling, playing
with their hair or picking their fingernails.
Passive Listening
Description Passive listening is one where the receiver Active listening is where the receiver
doesn’t provide feedback or asks questions demonstrates through interruption,
and may or may not understand what is asking questions, nodding and giving
being communicated. responses as a sign that he or she
understands what is being
communicated.
Attitude In passive listening, the listener has a In active listening, the listener has a
negative attitude which is demonstrated positive attitude which is demonstrated
through selective and ignoring attitude. through body language, eye contact and
reception.
Nature Of In passive listening, the listener pays little or n active listening, the listener pays
Communication no consideration to everything that is being consideration to everything that is
communicated. He or she pays attention to a being communicated and gives
few areas and phrases. additional time to listening.
Effect Passive listening is one way kind of Active listening is a two-way
communication since the listener is not communication because both the
interested in paying attention. listener and the communicator are
engaging one another.
Examples Examples of passive listening include Examples of where active listening is
listening to a speaker during a presentation very much required include; roundtable
or meeting, listening to radio, podcasts, and meeting discussions, job interviews,
Barriers to Listening
• Lack of concentration/interest .
Thank You.