Listening and Responding A Closer Look at Listening The International Listening Association
Wait a minute! Say that again, Doris!... you know the part about, 'If only we had some means of climbing down.' 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 pas senger 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.
Listening facts 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 &u= US&w=dfbf78a9,a855f805&icp=1&.intl=us&sig=NHJx5H8lcShoDeVIui.73w--
Types of Listening Appreciate listening Discriminative listening Comprehensive listening Empathic listening Critical listening 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 Process: 1. Attending – paying attention to a signal / focusing on what a speaker is saying 2.Understanding – making sense of a message / decoding the message 3.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 (page 88) 4.Evaluating – critically analyzing the message 5.Responding – providing feedback
Research shows link between effective listening and school success (page 97) 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
Reasons for Poor Listening Effort – heart rate quickens, respiration increases, body temperature rises Rapid thought – we are capable of understanding speech at rates between wpm, the average person only speaks between wpm (page 91) Message overload
Reasons for Poor Listening cont. Psychological noise Physical noise Hearing problems Faulty assumptions – heard it all before, information is too simple or complex, information is unimportant Selective Listening Pseudolistening (fake listening)
Reasons for Poor Listening cont. 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 Get physically and mentally ready to listen (Effective listeners are likely to sit uprights, lean forward, cease unnecessary movement, look directly at instructor, page 91) 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, page 92) Observe nonverbal cues – gestures, voice, facial expressions Adjust to the listening goals of the situation Identify the benefits of the message – Be opportunist
Improve Your Listening Ask questions to gain additional information Paraphrase Look for key ideas 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