Listening Chapter 7 LISTENING Is an active process

Listening Chapter 7

LISTENING Is an active process Creates meaning from information gathered Deals with spoken messages Interpretations may differ STUDENTS—take Listening Skills Survey in textbook

Listening Hearing vs. Listening Mindless Listening Mindful Listening

Importance of Effective Listening College students spend about 50% of their time listening 20% speaking 13% reading 12% writing Vital for personal and professional relationships Impacts our physical health We speak 120 -150 wpm, but our brain can process 500 -600 wmp

Misconceptions of Listening Assumptions that lead people to overestimate their listening skills: Hearing is the same as listening Hearing is physically receiving the message Listening is a conscious process, assigning meaning, and responding Listening is natural and effortless Some people are better listeners You can develop your listening skills All listeners hear the same thing Like connotative meaning, we assign meaning based on our experiences

Stages of Listening (HURIER) Hearing Physical reception Understanding Comprehend meaning Remembering Store and retrieve Interpreting Assign meaning based on verbal & nonverbal cues Signal your interpretation of message to speaker Evaluating Judging statements Separate fact from opinion

Stages of Listening (HURIER) Responding Stonewalling—silence & no facial expression Backchanneling—nodding, “uh huh, ” “I understand” Paraphrasing—repeat in your words what speaker said Empathizing—you understand share feelings of speaker

Stages of Listening (HURIER) Responding Supporting—express agreement Analyzing—provide your perspective to person Advising—provide advice to person

Types of Listening Appreciative Listen for enjoyment Informational Listen to learn Critical Listen to evaluate or analyze Empathic Listen to identify with speaker Inspirational Listen to be inspired

Barriers to Effective Listening Noise Pseudolistening and Selective Attention Information Overload Glazing Over (daydreaming/zoning out) Rebuttal Tendency (argue w/other in mind) Closed-mindedness Competitive Interruption (way to dominate

Becoming a Better Appreciative Listener o Highly individualized process of obtaining sensory enjoyment through the work of others. Ø Seek out opportunities to listen appreciatively ØConcert ØTheatrical production ØWalk in the park Ø Decide: ØEnjoy the creative product without analysis; or ØResearch the opportunity before the experience

Becoming a Better Informational Listener o Goal is to understand learn o Focus on the substance of what you are hearing: Ø Separate what is and isn’t said Ø Avoid confirmation bias Ø Tendency to pay attention to information that supports YOUR values and beliefs while ignoring information that doesn’t Ø Listen for substance more than style Ø Vividness effect—dramatic, shocking events may distort our perception of reality Ø Don’t pay attention only to delivery

Becoming a Better Critical Listener o Many interpersonal situations require assessing the credibility of what you are hearing: Ø Be a skeptic ØEvaluate evidence of a claim Ø Evaluate a speaker’s credibility ØIs speaker reliable and trustworthy? Ø Understand probability ØIs the speaker’s claim true?

Becoming a Better Empathic Listener o Within our relationships, a common goal for listening is to provide empathy and support: Ø Listen non-judgmentally Ø Even if what you hear is shocking Ø Don’t let your surprised feelings show on your face or with your words Ø Acknowledge feelings Ø Continuer statements—phrases that identify person’s emotions and allow them to continue Ø Terminator statements—phrases that fail to identify to acknowledge person’s emotions and the person shuts down Ø Communicate support nonverbally Ø Eye contact is critical if you’re face-to-face, touch, facial expression, warm vocalics