Learning to Listen

Overview What is the difference between listening and hearing? What are the types of listening? Why is listening important? What are some myths about listening? What are some bad listening habits? What are steps for practicing effective listening techniques? Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Think you can’t hear anything? Quick Write Stop for a moment. What do you hear? Think you can’t hear anything? Listen more closely! Concentrate on anything you can hear—no matter how small the sound. Write down a description of five things you hear. Then share your list with a few classmates. Chapter 1, Lesson 2 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

Hearing Versus Listening Hearing is continual, unfocused and unconscious Listening is a focused, conscious activity Chapter 1, Lesson 2 Photo courtesy of Thinkstock Images

Each hour people are awake they spend 50 minutes communicating: Time Spent Listening Each hour people are awake they spend 50 minutes communicating: 15 minutes reading or writing 10 minutes talking 25 minutes listening Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Types of Listening Passive One-way, no feedback Competitive Receiver only listens to needed information Active Two-way, feedback given Reflective Receiver interprets speaker’s feelings Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Importance of Listening Failure to listen to your teacher’s instructions could get you in trouble Failure to listen in class could result in a poor grade Failure to listen to your friends could hurt someone’s feelings Failure to hear a car come around the corner when crossing the street could get you seriously hurt Chapter 1, Lesson 2 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

How Important Is Active Listening? Name some situations and professions in which listening is vital. How might a failure to listen well result in danger or harm? Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Busting Listening Myths Myth #1: Listening is not my problem People falsely assume listening is easy Myth #2: Listening and hearing are the same Listening must interpret sounds you hear Myth #3: Good readers are good listeners Little correlation between reading and listening; even good readers need to work on it Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Busting Listening Myths Myth #4: Smart people are better listeners Smarter students have the capacity for better listening, but that potential is often not realized Myth #5: Listening improves with age Ability to listen well does improve, but performance actually declines with age Myth #6: Listening skills are hard to learn It takes practice and effort, but the skills are not hard to learn Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Bad Listening Habits Bad Habit #1: Thinking about what to say rather than listening to speaker Bad Habit #2: Talking when you should be listening Bad Habit #3: Interrupting Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Bad Listening Habits Bad Habit #4: Listening for what you expect to hear rather than what is actually said Bad Habit #5: Being preoccupied Bad Habit #6: Falling victim to tendency to stereotype Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Bad Listening Habits Bad Habit #7: Being self-centered Bad Habit #8: Not paying attention All other bad habits stem from this one, because you must be paying attention to listen effectively Chapter 1, Lesson 2 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

Practicing Effective Listening Clarify Ask specific questions—good feedback clarifies Restate, paraphrase, or repeat back Repeating what the speaker said is a good way to ensure you got the right message Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Practicing Effective Listening Acknowledging Let the speaker know that you understood the message—this doesn’t mean you have to agree Summarizing Highlight the main points you noted during the conversation Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Effective Listening Framing Note taking Framing gives you a chance to find areas of agreement on which to focus Note taking Don’t write down every word! Jot down key phrases, words, or diagrams that will help you recall main points Chapter 1, Lesson 2 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

Review Hearing is continual, unfocused, and unconscious, whereas listening is focused, conscious, and active Listening can be: passive competitive active reflective Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Review Failing to listen can be dangerous There are six myths about listening that people often believe Failing to pay attention is a bad listening habit—and all other bad listening habits stem from it Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Review To improve your listening, try some of these techniques: clarifying restating, paraphrasing, or “mirroring” acknowledging summarizing framing and note taking Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Summary What is the difference between listening and hearing? What are the types of listening? Why is listening important? What are some myths about listening? What are some bad listening habits? What are steps for practicing good listening skills? Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Next Done—effective listening Next—we’ll learn about critical thinking Chapter 1, Lesson 2 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com