BARRIERS

TO GOOD
LISTENING
GROUP 3
“We were given two ears but only one mouth, because listening is twice as hard as talking”
 Listening

Is the active process of receiving, constructing meaning from,

and responding to spoke and/or nonverbal messages. It
involves the ability to retain information, as well as to react
emphatically and/or appreciatively to spoken and nonverbal
messages. Listening is the absorption of the meanings of
words and sentences by the brain. Listening leads to the
understanding of facts and ideas. But listening takes attention,
or sticking to the task at hand in spite of distractions. It
requires concentration, which is the focusing of your thoughts
upon one particular problem. A person who incorporates
listening with concentration is actively listening. 
Fundamentals in Communication
Studies
Writing
14%
Face to
Speaking face
16% Listening listening
53% 21%
Reading Listening to
17% mass media
32%
 BARRIERS TO GOOD LISTENING
• Physical Barriers consist of any
sound that prevents a person from
being heard. Physical noise
interferes with a speaker’s ability to
send messages and with an
audience’s ability to receive them.
• Examples: whispers, cheers, passing
cars and etc.
 BARRIERS TO GOOD LISTENING
• Psychological Barriers consist of thoughts
and feelings that distract people from
listening to what is said are called
psychological. The noise interferes with
the audience’s concentration and ability to
hear a speaker’s presentation.
• Examples: people not paying attention
because they are absorbed in their own
thoughts, jumping to conclusions, faking
attention, yielding to distractions,
overreacting to emotional words and
tuning out topics that one considers to be
 BARRIERS TO GOOD LISTENING
• Psychological Barriers consist of thoughts and feelings
that distract people from listening to what is said are
called psychological. The noise interferes with the
audience’s concentration and ability to hear a
speaker’s presentation.
• Examples: people not paying attention because they
are absorbed in their own thoughts, jumping to
conclusions, faking attention, yielding to distractions,
overreacting to emotional words and tuning out
topics that one considers to be dull.
 BARRIERS TO GOOD LISTENING
• Semantic Barriers are interferences that are caused by
words that trigger strong negative feelings against the
speaker or the content of the speech is called semantic
noise. Semantic noise leads to misunderstanding, as well
as unpleasant and distracting nonverbal feedback from
the audience.
• Examples: A group of students might agree with you if
you called rap music “confusing.” However, they might
stop listening if you began calling rap music “garbage.”
 1. ON-OFF LISTENING
 
This unfortunate habit of listening arises from the
fact that most individuals think about 4 times as
the average person can speak. Thus, the listener
has ¾ of a minute of “spare thinking time” in which
listening minute. Sometimes he/she uses this extra
time to thin about his/her own personal affairs,
concern and troubles instead of listening, relating
and summarizing what the speaker has to say.
 2. RED FLAG LISTENING
These terms vary in every group, society, and
organization. When this signal comes in, we
turn out the speaker. We lose contact with
him/her and fail to develop an understanding
of that person
3.OPEN EARS-CLOSED MIND
LISTENING

Sometimes we decide rather quickly that

either the subject or the speaker is boring,
and what is said makes no sense.
4.GLASSY-EYED LISTENING

Sometimes we look at a person intently, and

we seem to be listening although our minds
may be on other things or in far distant places.
We get glassy-eyed, and often a dreaming
expression appears on our faces.
 5.TOO-DEEP-FOR-ME
LISTENING

We are listening to ideas that are too complex

and complicated, we should force ourselves to
follow the discussion and make a real effort to
understand it. Often if we do not understand,
others do not either and it can help the group
to ask for clarifications or an example if
possible.
6. DON’T-ROCK-THE-BOAT LISTENING

People do not like to have their favorite ideas,

prejudices, and points of view overturned:
many do not like to have their opinions and
judgments challenged. So, when a speaker says
some things that clashes with what we think or
believe, we may unconsciously stop listening
or even become defensive and plan a
counterattack.