1. Listening Skills

2. Importance of Listening Skills
In daily communication we spend our time as follows:
Writing 9 percent
Reading 16 percent
Speaking percent
Listening percent

3. Problems with Ineffective Listening
Poor listeners are perceived as less intelligent.
In some careers, life and death situations are determined by an employee’s listening skills.
Ineffective listening costs the company

4. Hearing
Hearing occurs when your ears pick up sound waves being transmitted by a speaker.
Hearing is an INACTIVE, INVOLUNTARY process.

5. Listening
Listening involves recognizing, understanding and accurately interpreting messages received.
Listening is an ACTIVE, VOLUNTARY process which requires ENERGY.

6. BARRIERS Physiological Environment Attitudinal Hearing Impairment
Speaking-Thinking rate
Environment
Physical
Message Overload
Attitudinal
Prejudices
Pre occupation
Casual attitude
Egocentrism

7. Goal Setting for Interactive Listening
Identify Objectives
What must I get out of this message?
What would I like to get out of this situation?
What should others get out of my listening to them?
Listening Style
Four types of listening: information, enjoyment, evaluation, and feelings
Listening Approach
Four approaches to listening: Discriminative, Comprehensive, Critical, Active

8. Communication Competence: Interactive Listening
Interactive listening is an ongoing, complex, and dynamic process.
Guidelines to becoming an interactive listener:
Motivation & Preparedness
Objective
Talk less
Ask questions
Use nonverbal behavior
Avoid boredom

9. Dismantle The Three D’s
Distraction
Focus on the speaker
Take notes to stay on track
Disorientation
Simply information to its basic level
Focus on main points
Defensiveness
Understand that its not about “you”
Ask objective questions to self about content

10. Improve Listening Skills
Challenge:
Calling the subject
uninteresting
Criticizing the
speaker’s delivery
Disagreeing with the
message
Suggestion:
Shift for practical
information
Concentrate on the
Message
Hear the person out
before judging

11. Improve Listening Skills (cont’d)
Challenge:
Listening only for
facts
Trying to outline a
disorganized talk
Suggestion:
Listen for main
ideas
Be flexible in note
taking

12. Empathize Adjust with delivery Use Feedback Clarity Be Interesting
Tips For Speaker
Empathize
Adjust with delivery
Use Feedback
Clarity
Be Interesting