Listening Listening

Communication Communication ApplicationsApplications

Are listening and Are listening and hearing the same?hearing the same?

HearingHearing

An automatic reaction of An automatic reaction of the senses and nervous the senses and nervous system to incoming system to incoming stimuli.stimuli.

ListeningListening

A voluntary act. The A voluntary act. The process of understanding process of understanding what was meant, not what was meant, not simply hearing what was simply hearing what was said.said.

What is considered the What is considered the number one on the job number one on the job skill?skill?

Three Reasons Why We Three Reasons Why We Listen:Listen:

To To UnderstandUnderstand

Why we listen:Why we listen:

To To RememberRemember

Why We Listen:Why We Listen:

To EvaluateTo Evaluate

The Rate GapThe Rate Gap

The space between The space between words spoken by another words spoken by another and our ability to and our ability to interpret them.interpret them.

Rate GapRate Gap In other words, our minds and In other words, our minds and

mouths work at different mouths work at different speeds.speeds.

Our brains simply work faster Our brains simply work faster than our mouths.than our mouths.

We find ourselves with We find ourselves with “listening spare time”.“listening spare time”.

Rate GapRate Gap

The average person speaks The average person speaks 120 – 180 words per minute.120 – 180 words per minute.

The average listener can The average listener can handle approximately 400 handle approximately 400 words per minute.words per minute.

Types of ListeningTypes of Listening

Appreciative Appreciative ListeningListening

Listening for Listening for enjoyment.enjoyment.

Examples:Examples:

Types of ListeningTypes of Listening

Discriminative Discriminative ListeningListening – – listening to listening to single out single out something.something.

Examples:Examples:

Types of ListeningTypes of Listening

Comprehensive Comprehensive Listening –Listening –

Listening to Listening to understandunderstand

Examples:Examples:

Types of ListeningTypes of Listening

Therapeutic ListeningTherapeutic Listening – –The listener acts as a The listener acts as a sounding board for the sounding board for the speaker as the person talks speaker as the person talks through a problem.through a problem.

Examples:Examples:

Types of ListeningTypes of Listening

Critical ListeningCritical Listening – – evaluating what you hear to evaluating what you hear to decide if the communicator’s decide if the communicator’s message is logical.message is logical.

Examples:Examples:

Seven Deadly Habits of Seven Deadly Habits of Bad ListeningBad Listening

Tuning out Tuning out dull topicsdull topics

MEGOMEGO

My eyes glaze over!My eyes glaze over!

““Let’s review our fire drill Let’s review our fire drill procedures.”procedures.”

Dull TopicsDull Topics

Improve on this by listening Improve on this by listening for useful information.for useful information.

Use the Rate Gap!!Use the Rate Gap!!

Faking AttentionFaking Attention

Also known as Pseudolistening Also known as Pseudolistening or fake listening.or fake listening.

Improve on this by mentally Improve on this by mentally paraphrasing what the speaker paraphrasing what the speaker says.says.

Use the Rate Gap!!Use the Rate Gap!!

Yielding to DistractionsYielding to Distractions

Noises around us (peripheral) get Noises around us (peripheral) get our attention.our attention.

A door slams, cell phone rings, A door slams, cell phone rings, someone smacking gum.someone smacking gum.

Try to block out distractions when Try to block out distractions when concentrating.concentrating.

Criticizing Delivery and Criticizing Delivery and or Physical Appearanceor Physical Appearance

This could include:This could include: Delivery: Fillers, accents, word Delivery: Fillers, accents, word

choice, etc.choice, etc. Appearance: clothing, grooming, Appearance: clothing, grooming,

physical impairments, etc.physical impairments, etc.

Jumping to ConclusionsJumping to Conclusions

Avoid personal biases against a Avoid personal biases against a speaker’s background or speaker’s background or position.position.

Withhold judgmentWithhold judgment

Hear people out before Hear people out before making making decisions.decisions.

Overreacting to Overreacting to emotional words.emotional words.

Words or phrases that pushes Words or phrases that pushes our “hot buttons”.our “hot buttons”.

Words that pass through our Words that pass through our emotional filters.emotional filters.

Emotional FiltersEmotional Filters

EducationEducation Physical ConditionPhysical Condition

BiasesBiases Morals/ValuesMorals/Values

AttitudeAttitude FamilyFamily

AgeAge ReligionReligion

ExperienceExperience

Respect another’s point of view!!!!Respect another’s point of view!!!!

Interrupting Interrupting

Also known as a “Communication Hog”Also known as a “Communication Hog” We do not listen when we are eager to We do not listen when we are eager to

speak.speak. We spend most of our listening time We spend most of our listening time

thinking about what we want to say.thinking about what we want to say.

Talk shows have made interrupting Talk shows have made interrupting popular.popular.