Graduate Attributes: Communication Listening

Food for thought ‘Talking is power’ ‘Listening is caring’ ‘I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.’- Ernest Hemingway

By the end of this session we will have… Tried to define what effective listening means and reflected on different ways effective listening can help us now and after we graduate Discussed how (or whether!) the wider context impacts on our ability to listen Identified and discussed potential barriers to listening (’listening killers’), Identified personal objectives for the development of listening skill as part of our Graduate Attributes development

Listening: what is it? Working in pairs or small groups, try to define what listening is Why is effective listening an important skill for a university student AND a graduate? In small groups, think of at least 6 reasons. You may refer to the university experience as a whole and your specific discipline Put your ideas into the inner circle of your ‘listening model’ sheet

Some definitions: To listen: “Give one’s attention to a sound: take notice of and act on what someone says; respond to advice or a request; (listen for or listen out for) make an effort to hear something; be alert and ready to hear something” ( ‘a process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages” (Bentley and Bacon 1996, p.1, definition accepted by the International Listening Association) What is the difference between listening and hearing?

The wider context Think of the context of the world we live in (our personal life, work, study): how do we communicate, what are the main issues, challenges? Working in a small group (preferably 4), fill the outer circle with key words and phrases that describe this context

Reflection Does the context impact on our ability to listen well? To what extent?

Your own experience Think of a situation when you were truly listened to. How did you feel? How did you know you were listened to? Think of an opposite situation: you were not listened to. How did you feel? How could you tell? What could have been done to improve this situation?

Levels of listening How can our listening evolve and become deeper? Briefly discussing in pairs, try to identify and jot down listening ‘levels’ from the most ‘surface’ one to a ‘deep’ one Compare and discuss your ideas with the pair sitting closest to you

Let’s practise!

Barriers to listening or listening ‘killers’ What are the potential barriers to effective listening? What are ‘filters’?

When listening, have you ever been… A mind reader? A rehearser? A filterer? A dreamer? An identifier? A comparer? Other?...

What have I learned? 1. Look back at your initial expectations 2. How will you apply the learning from this session? (academic study, work/career, social/community engagement?) 3. What else would you like to learn or/and know?

Useful links Julian Treasure, 5 ways to listen better, speaking at TED conference, Edinburgh, Scotland: Listening and interpersonal skills tutorial interpersonal-skills/listening-and-interpersonal-skills-tutorial/