Listening and Responding A Closer Look at Listening The International Listening Association http://www.listen.org/

The Ship That Couldn't Be Sunk One of the greatest tragedies in the history of sea travel occurred on the night of April 14, 1912, when the crew of the Titanic refused to listen to repeated warnings of icebergs. The crew had been led to believe that this brand-new pas­senger liner was "unsinkable." Even after the ship struck an iceberg and was slow­ly sinking, some of the passengers ig­nored the captain's orders to get into the lifeboats. When the ship finally began tilting dangerously, it was too late. There weren't enough lifeboats for all the pas­sengers and worse still, the Californian, the only other ship in the area (about 10 miles away) made no attempt to reach the wreck. Her radio operator had gone off duty. He, too, wasn't listening. As a result, more than a thousand people needlessly lost their lives. Wait a minute! Say that again, Doris! . . . you know the part about, 'If only we had some means of climbing down.'

Listening facts Other studies say you listen 40% and speak 35% (pg 53) Executives say they spend upwards of 50% listening (pg 53) You my only remember 35% after 24 hours (pg 53) Employees of major North American corporations spend 60% of time listening Of North American executives, 80% believe listening is one of the most important skills needed in the corporate environment. In committed relationships, listening in everyday conversations is ingredient of satisfaction The ideal manager has ability to listen effectively, according to 1000 human resource executives Fewer than 2% of us have had any formal listening training (page 88) Students are in listening situations 65%-90% of the time. http://74.6.239.185/search/srpcache?ei=UTF-8&p=average+time+listening+student+90%25&fr=yfp-t-701&u=http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=average+time+listening+student+90%25&d=4609848658364003&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=dfbf78a9,a855f805&icp=1&.intl=us&sig=NHJx5H8lcShoDeVIui.73w--

Listening and Hearing are NOT the same thing Hearing is a physiological process (passive and physical) Listening is a cognitive process (active and mental) “Listening is the conscious act of recognizing, understanding, and accurately interpreting the messages communicated by others” (pg 53).

Selective Perception (pg 53-54) Selective Perception is when people pay attention selectively to certain messages while ignoring others. We pay attention to what we hold to be important. We pay attention to information that touches our experiences and backgrounds. We sort and filter new information on the basis of what we already know.

Listening Process: 1. Attending – paying attention to a signal / focusing on what a speaker is saying Understanding – making sense of a message / decoding the message Remembering – retaining the information and recalling it Unfortunately, research suggests people only remember 50% immediately after hearing it, only 35% within eight hours and within 2 days only remember 20% of the original message Evaluating – critically analyzing the message Responding – providing feedback

Research shows link between effective listening and school success Unfortunately, people seem to get worse at the skill of listening as they get older: Teachers at various grade levels were asked to stop their lectures periodically and ask students to repeat what the teacher had been saying: 90% of first graders could repeat 80% of second graders could repeat 44% of junior high students could repeat 28% of senior high students could repeat

Barriers to Active Listening (pg 55) (Reasons for Poor Listening) Effort – heart rate quickens, respiration increases, body temperature rises Rapid thought – we are capable of understanding speech at rates between 400-800 wpm, the average person only speaks between 120-150 wpm Message overload Laziness and Overconfidence (pg 57) Cultural Barriers (pg 58)

Barriers to Active Listening (pg 55) (Reasons for Poor Listening) Physical noise / External distractions (pg 56) Psychological noise / Internal distractions (pg 56) Defensive Listening (pg 56) Hearing problems Faulty assumptions – heard it all before, information is too simple or complex, information is unimportant Selective Listening Pseudolistening (fake listening)

Barriers to Active Listening (pg 55) (Reasons for Poor Listening) Talking has more apparent advantages – talking allows us to gain more (admiration, respect, liking). One study revealed that men interrupt more than women. Men interrupt to dominate or control conversation. Women interrupt to agree, elaborate on speaker’s idea, or participate in topic. Media Influences – programming consists of short segments Short attention spans – A 1999 study revealed the average attention span for adults is 20 minutes or less. (page 91)

Improve Your Listening Set Listening Goals (pg 59) Look for key ideas (pg 59) Watch for nonverbal cues (pg 60) Get physically and mentally ready to listen (Effective listeners are likely to sit uprights, lean forward, cease unnecessary movement, look directly at instructor) Resist mental distractions Don’t argue, interrupt, or judge prematurely – Hear the speaker out! (We typically stop listening before they have finished if we think we know what they are going to say) Observe nonverbal cues – gestures, voice, facial expressions Identify the benefits of the message – Be opportunist

Improve Your Listening Ask questions to gain additional information Paraphrase Repeat the information – if information is not reinforced it will be held in short-term memory for as little as 20 seconds (page 97) Construct mnemonics - AURER Take GOOD notes