Listening “To listen actively to another human being may the greatest gift you can give a person. The power to listen is a remarkably sensitive skill, perhaps the greatest talent of the human race.” – Meyers & Meyers “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” – Thoreau 2/23/2019 Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D.

1. What art the characteristics of effective and ineffective listeners? 2/23/2019 Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D.

2. Why is listening important? Time Immediate impact Learning Enhances memory Longer term consequences Respect Dependability Persuasiveness “Interesting” 2/23/2019 Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D.

3. What is listening? “Listening is a process of taking what you hear & organizing it into verbal units to which you can apply meaning” – Blaine Goss Example – “Itrainedlastnight” Phases Signal Processing – segment structures Literal Processing – simple interpretation Reflective Processing – critical analysis, appreciation 2/23/2019 Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D.

Listening Skills Level 1 (Literal) Level 2 (Reflective) Get main ideas Get central theme Retain pertinent content Resist reactions to emotional language Follow instructions & directions Level 2 (Reflective) Judge relevancy Predicting what will happen next Identify speaker attitudes Judge validity of ideas Discriminate between fact & inference Understand imagery implied by the words Detect personality profile Detect patterns in thinking style 2/23/2019 Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D.

4. What are common myths about listening? Listening is a natural process Hearing & listening are the same Message sent = message received The speaker is primarily responsible for the success of the communication 2/23/2019 Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D.

5. What are barriers to listening? Word meanings Disconfirming responses Impervious response Interrupting response Irrelevant response Tangential response Impersonal response Focus on details Tortoise & Hare Factor 2/23/2019 Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D.

Barriers cont. Physical barriers Premature evaluation Unclear purpose Emotional reactions Expectations/perceptions 2/23/2019 Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D.

6. Improving Listening skills Focus on content, not delivery Work at listening Do something about distractions Focus on understanding, then evaluation Say-it-back 3 Question Technique Mirror Technique Inquire about the meaning of key words Use the Tortoise & Hare Factor to your benefit Be aware of your own biases/expectations 2/23/2019 Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D.

Listening Exercise Issue Yes No Teen abortion without parent’s consent? Mandatory drug testing on the job? Legalize prostitution? Death penalty for repeat rapist? The war in Iraq was a bad idea? Limit CEO salaries and compensation? Environmentalist have too much sway on US policy? 2/23/2019 Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D.