The Art Of Listening Take out a sheet of paper and write a paragraph about what you think the difference is between hearing and listening.

Hearing And Listening Hearing is being able to detect sounds. Examples… Listening means getting meaning from the sounds that are heard Examples… Good listening can be one of the most difficult of all communication skills to master

Good Listening Skills Good listeners are attentive and receptive. Good listeners actively seek out information, evaluate what they hear, and respond to it. Better listening = … Better interpersonal skills More knowledge Better school and work performance More dates, and invites to social functions

The Listening Process The listening process is four steps Receiving Interpreting Evaluating And responding

Interpreting After receiving your message you use your own experience to interpret what you have heard. Why do are own experiences make a difference in the way we interpret a message? What about reading an or text?

Interpret Effectively An effective listener tries to interpret the speaker’s message to truly understand what the speaker intended to say. How do we do this?

Receiving Receiving involves hearing and seeing You hear the message, “Hey dude, did you see that killer play on ESPN.” Your eyes read the nonverbal signals to get the full message. You look for facial expressions, gestures, and eye movements.

Example Your friend says, “Did you know about the party at Keith’s house?” Just think of the many ways this message could be interpreted Nonverbal clues can be a good hint for the true meaning behind a message

Evaluating After receiving and interpreting a message the next step is to evaluate You have to connect that message to your ideas or feelings about the subject of the message. You have to decide if you agree or disagree, or if you need more information.

Back To Keith’s Party As you hear about the party you may be thinking… So what What do I think How do I feel What do I need to know

Responding Almost all messages require some type of response. Think about voice mail, , phone calls, class participation, talking to friends, etc. No response can make the speaker feel invisible. No response can be called a disconfirming message As a listener you are faced with the challenge of sending a response

Respond Now And Get Bonused! The listeners response is important for effective communication Without feedback the listener has no way of knowing if the message was received Listeners have the advantage over the speaker

Thought Speed Thought speed allows the listener to have an advantage over the speaker People speak at the rate of 120 to 180 words per minute People listen at the rate of 400 words per minute Let’s think of some examples…

Types Of Listening There are four types of listening Informational Empathetic Critical And Creative listening Each type of listening requires effort and awareness A competent listener is comfortable using all types

Informational Listening Have you ever messed up because you did not listen well. What about getting directions from someone? An important purpose for listening is to get information Informational listening could be listening to directions, explanations, or MTV news

Informational Listening Informational listening is is the basis for the other types of listening Unless you understand a message accurately, you cannot analyze another person’s ideas or respond to another person’s feelings

Critical Listening Critical Listening means examining an informative or a persuasive message and making decisions about your findings. Think about the trailers at a movie, or a commercial on TV. Critical listening involves separating fact from opinion and checking out the source of a message.

Critical Listening A critical listener hears the other person’s ideas first A critical listener looks for facts, opinions, disagreements, confusion; and then figures out how to respond effectively Allow your mind to work constantly as you work to listen critically

Who listens to music? Does anyone remember the lyrics to a song? Bonus if you sing for us! Creative listening means using your active imagination as you interpret a message When you listen to music you are using your creative listening skills Improvisation in front of the class is creative listening from both the audience and the participants

Empathic Listening Empathic listening involves listening to another’s feelings Empathic listening is a difficult type of listening Sometimes you may feel uncomfortable and want to get away from the conversation Eye contact, head nodding, or touch are often better responses than words