Listening skills

1. 1
Listening Skills

2. 2
Importance of Listening Skills
In daily communication we spend
our time as follows:
• Writing 9 percent
• Reading 16 percent
• Speaking 30 percent
• Listening 45 percent

3. 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. 4
Hearing
 Hearing occurs when your
ears pick up sound waves
being transmitted by a
speaker.
 Hearing is an INACTIVE,
INVOLUNTARY process.

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

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

7. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 12
Tips For Speaker
 Empathize
 Adjust with delivery
 Use Feedback
 Clarity
 Be Interesting