1. ASHLAND - PAUL G. BLAZER ARMY JROTC We Can!
as of: 12Oct16, POC: CSM Mike Maynard 1

2. THE POWER OF LISTENING Learning Objectives The Art Of Listening
Listening Versus Hearing
Fast Facts
Effective Listening
Percentage Of Communication
Why Be A Good Listener
Barriers To Listening
Four Levels Of Listening
Bad Listening Habits
Characteristics Of Listening
Active Listening Steps
Improving Listening Skills
Ten Keys To Effective Listening
Closing Comments & Questions 2

3. To Learn How To Listen Effectively In Class And In Life
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Goal
To Learn How To Listen Effectively In Class And In Life
Develop Students Listening Abilities,
Teach Basic Listening Strategies,
Address Difficulties Faced In Effective Listening 3

4. THE ART OF LISTENING
“If we were supposed to talk more than listen, we would have been given two mouths and one ear.”
- Mark Twain
Listening
The Process Of Receiving, Constructing Meaning From, And Responding To Spoken And/Or Nonverbal Messages; To Hear Something With Thoughtful Attention
Effective Communication Is 2-way
Depends On Speaking And Listening 4

5. LISTENING VS. HEARING Hearing Listening Listening Is Hard!
Physical Process; Natural; Passive
Listening
Physical & Mental Process; Active; Learned Process; A Skill
Listening Is Hard!
You Must Choose To Participate In The Process Of Listening. 5

6. FAST FACTS We Listen At 125-250 Wpm, Think At 1000-3000 Wpm
75% Of The Time We Are Distracted, Preoccupied Or Forgetful
20% Of The Time, We Remember What We Hear
More Than 35% Of Businesses Think Listening Is A Top Skill For Success
Less Than 2% Of People Have Had Formal Education With Listening 6

7. What Communication Skill Can Be More Basic Than Listening?
EFFECTIVE LISTENING
What Communication Skill Can Be More Basic Than Listening?
We Spend More Time Listening Than Any Other Activity Except Breathing, Yet We Listen At Only A Fraction Of Our Potential. Because We Believe Ourselves To Be Good Listeners We Seldom Make An Effort To Improve. 7

8. What Is Effective Listening?
Effective Listening Skills Are The Ability To Actively Understand Information Provided By The Speaker, And Display Interest In The Topic Discussed. It Can Also Include Providing The Speaker With Feedback, By Asking Pertinent Questions So The Speaker Knows The Message Is Received.
Effective Listening Is A Skill Using Multiple Senses To Comprehend The Message Being Sent By The Speaker. 8

9. Importance Of Listening
EFFECTIVE LISTENING
Importance Of Listening
The Importance Of Listening Extends Far Beyond Academic And Professional Settings. Understanding How To Practice Good Communication Even In Your Day To Day Life, Among Friends, Family, And Significant Others, Is Important For A Number Of Reasons: Fostering Good Self-esteem, Maximizing Productivity, Improving Relationships, And Even Becoming A Better Speaker. 9

10. Listening As A Communication Skill
EFFECTIVE LISTENING
Listening As A Communication Skill
Listening Is One Of The Most Important Communication Skills
We Probably Spend More Time Using Our Listening Skills Than Any Other Kind Of Skill
Like Other Skills, Listening Takes Practice
Real Listening Is An Active Process
Listening Requires Attention 10

11. Why Few People Listen Effectively
EFFECTIVE LISTENING
Why Few People Listen Effectively
Listening Sometimes Does Not Come Easy.
Often, The Difficulty Is Not Because People Are Not Willing To Listen But Because They Are Unable To Do So.
Their Mind Does Not Allow Them To See The Total Picture Because They Are Only Able To See The World In One Dimension.
This Inability To Listen Using Both Sides Of The Brain Can Cause Miscommunication, Misinterpretation, And Miscalculation. 11

12. Why Few People Listen Effectively
EFFECTIVE LISTENING
Why Few People Listen Effectively
The Result Can Be A Listener Who Is Unable To Deal With Not Only The Logic Of A Relationship But With The Emotional Component Either.
Hence, This Asymmetrical Use Of The Brain Often Results In The Inability Of The Listener To Absorb All The Necessary Cues From The Person Speaking.
Effective And Active Listening Requires, Using Both Sides Of The Brain. Unfortunately, Few People Understand This Fact.
Instead, They See This Skill As One Reflecting The Use Of The Right Or Left Side Of The Brain. 12

13. PERCENTAGE OF COMMUNICATION
Mode of Communication
Formal Years
of Training
Percentage of Time Used
Writing
12 years 9%
Reading
6-8 years
16 %
Speaking
1-2 years
30%
Listening
0-few hours
45% 13

14. WHY BE A GOOD LISTENER? Needs Of The Customer…
To Be Recognized And Remembered
To Feel Valued
To Feel Appreciated
To Feel Respected
To Feel Understood
To Feel Comfortable About A Want Or Need 14

15. WHY BE A GOOD LISTENER?
Listening Is The Most Powerful Form Of Acknowledgment
…A Way Of Saying, “You Are Important”
Listening Builds Stronger Relationships …Creates A Desire To Cooperate Among People Because They Feel Accepted And Acknowledged
Listening Promotes Being Heard
…"Seek First To Understand, Then Be Understood." - Stephen Covey 15

16. WHY BE A GOOD LISTENER? Listening Creates Acceptance And Openness
…Conveys The Message That “I Am Not Judging You.”
Listening Leads To Learning
…Openness Encourages Personal Growth And Learning
Listening Reduces Stress And Tension
…Minimizes Confusion And Misunderstanding, Eliminating Related Stress And Tension 16

17. Listening Is CRITICAL In Conflict Resolution
WHY BE A GOOD LISTENER?
Listening Is CRITICAL In Conflict Resolution
…Much Conflict Comes From The Need To Be Heard. Successful Resolution Depends On Being A Non-anxious Presence 17

18. BARRIERS TO LISTENING Equate With Hearing Uninteresting Topics
Speaker’s Delivery
External Distractions
Mentally Preparing Response
Listening For Facts
Personal Concerns
Personal Bias
Language/Culture Differences
Faking Attention 18

19. FOUR LEVELS OF LISTENING
The Non-Listener
The Marginal Listener
The Evaluative Listener
The Active Listener 19

20. BAD LISTENING HABITS Criticizing The Subject Or The Speaker
Getting Over-stimulated
Listening Only For Facts
Not Taking Notes Or Outlining Everything
Tolerating Or Creating Distraction
Letting Emotional Words Block Message
Wasting Time Difference Between Speed Of Speech And Speed Of Thought 20

21. CHARACTERISTICS OF LISTENING
L = Look Interested
I = Involve Yourself By Responding
S = Stay On Target
T = Test Your Understanding
E = Evaluate The Message
N = Neutralize Your Feelings 21

22. ACTIVE LISTENING (4 STEPS)
Active Listening - Hearing
Clarifying - Questioning
Reflecting - Interpreting
Responding - Agreeing 22

23. STEP 1: ACTIVE LISTENING
To Feelings As Well As Words
Words – Emotions -- Implications
Focus on Speaker
Don’t plan, speak, or get distracted
What Is Speaker Talking About?
Topic? Speaker? Listener? Others?
Look At Speaker
Use Verbal & Non-Verbal Encouragers 23

24. STEP 1: HEARING Allow The Other Person To Talk Avoid Interruptions
Clear One's Mind Of Distractions
Encourage The Speaker To Elaborate On What Is Being Said Through Verbal And Nonverbal Cues
Focus On The Speaker; Maintain Eye Contact
Listen To What Is Said And Not How It Is Said
Model The Speaker's Physical Behavior To Encourage Further Talking
Observe Nonverbal Behavior As Well As What Is Said
Use Open-ended Questions To Encourage The Speaker To Continue Talking 24

25. STEP 2: CLARIFYING Ask Open-end Questions To Probe For Further Detail
Avoid Asking Leading Questions To Get The Desired Comment Or Response
Avoid Coming To Conclusions Before The Speaker Finishes
Be Cognizant Of The Speaker's Choice And Application Of Words
Encourage Feedback Through Questioning
Keep All Of Your Questions Pertinent To The Topic
Look For Synchronicity Between What Was Said And Body Language
Maintain Two-way Communication
Paraphrase What Was Said And Verify For Accuracy
Try To Separate Assumptions From Facts And Data 25

26. STEP 2: QUESTIONING 3 Purposes Open-ended
Demonstrates you are listening
Gather information
Clarification
Open-ended
Tell me more?
How did you feel?
Then what happened? 26

27. STEP 3: REFLECTING Reflect What Is Said (In your words)
Reflect Feelings
Reframe
Capture the essence of the communication
Remove negative framing
Move toward problem solving 27

28. STEP 3: INTERPRETING
Avoid Taking What The Speaker Says At Face Value By Looking At Feelings As Well As Body Language
Communicate Your Interpretation And Verify Its Accuracy
Concentrate On Facts And Data, Not Perceptions
Distinguish Between Assumptions, And Facts And Data
Identify The Main Ideas
Pay Attention To Nonverbal Communications To Determine Sincerity About What Is Said 28

29. STEP 4: RESPONDING Be sincere
Conduct follow-up, if necessary, on any resulting request by the instructor or the speaker
Demonstrate a physiological (e.g., body language) and psychological response
Exhibit empathy rather than sympathy
Exhibit verbal and nonverbal cues that build bridges rather than walls between the project manager and the speaker
Seek feedback on your response. 29

30. STEP 4: AGREEING Get Speaker’s Consent to Your Reframing
Speaker Has Been Heard and Knows It!
Solution Is Near! 30

31. IMPROVING LISTENING SKILLS
By Not Being Preoccupied
Being Open Minded & Non Defensive
Minimizing Interruptions
Effective Listening Is: Hearing, Interpreting When Necessary, Understanding The Message And Relating To It
By Asking Questions 31

32. TEN KEYS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING
Find Areas Of Interest
The Poor Listener: Tunes Out Dry Topics
The Good Listener: Seizes Opportunities: "What's In It For Me?"
Judge Content, Not Delivery
The Poor Listener: Tunes Out If Delivery Is Poor
The Good Listener: Judges Content, Skips Over Delivery Errors
Hold Your Fire
The Poor Listener: Tends To Enter Into Argument
The Good Listener: Doesn't Judge Until Comprehension Is Complete 32

33. TEN KEYS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING
Listen For Ideas
The Poor Listener: Listens For Facts
The Good Listener: Listens For Central Theme
Be A Flexible Note Taker
The Poor Listener: Is Busy With Form, Misses Content
The Good Listener: Adjusts To Topic And Organizational Pattern
Work At Listening
The Poor Listener: Shows No Energy Output, Fakes Attention
The Good Listener: Works Hard; Exhibits Alertness 33

34. TEN KEYS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING
Resist Distractions
The Poor Listener: Is Distracted Easily
The Good Listener: Fights Or Avoids Distractions; Tolerates Bad Habits In Others; Knows How To Concentrate
Exercise Your Mind
The Poor Listener: Resists Difficult Material; Seeks Light, Recreational Material
The Good Listener: Uses Heavier Material As Exercise For The Mind
Keep Your Mind Open
The Poor Listener: Reacts To Emotional Words
The Good Listener: Interprets Emotional Words; Does Not Get Hung Up On Them 34

35. TEN KEYS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING
Thought Is Faster Than Speech; Use It
The Poor Listener: Tends To Daydream With Slow Speakers
The Good Listener: Challenges, Anticipates, Mentally Summarizes, Weights The Evidence, Listens Between The Lines To Tone And Voice 35

36. CLOSING COMMENTS & QUESTIONS…36