Listening

Module
Seventeen

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Hearing vs. Listening

 Listening is the form of communication we practice most

often.
 Yet because we rarely have formal training in it, it may be
the one that we do most poorly.

 Listening is even more crucial on the job than it is in

classes, but it may also be more difficult.
 Because people routinely listen—to voices, to music, to
nature—they can overestimate their skills, and the
classroom experience is more structured than many work
situations.
2
 Listening

 Hearing
 denotes perceiving
sounds.
 Listening
 Means decoding and
interpreting them
correctly.

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 What do good listeners do?

To avoid listening errors caused by

inattention:
Before the meeting, anticipate the answers you
need to get
At the end of the conversation, check your
understanding with the other person
After the conversation, write down key points that
affect deadlines or how work will be evaluated.

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 What do good listeners do?

To avoid listening errors caused by self-

absorption:
Focus on the substance of what the speaker says
“not his or her appearance”
Spend your time evaluating what the speaker says
Consciously work to learn something from every
speaker
Some people listen looking for flaws (‫ )عيب‬or they may listen as if the discussion were a war,
listening for points on which they can attack the other speaker.

17-5
 What do good listeners do?

To avoid listening errors caused by faulty

assumptions:
Don’t ignore instructions you think are unnecessary
Consider the other person’s background and
experiences
Paraphrase what the speaker has said

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 What do good listeners do?

To avoid listening errors caused by focusing

solely on facts:
Consciously listen for feelings.
Pay attention to tone of voice, facial expression,
and body language.
Don’t assume that silence means consent.

17-7
 What is active listening?

 Active listening,
 receivers actively
demonstrate that
they’ve heard and
understood a speaker
by feeding back either
the literal meaning or
the emotional content
or both.

17-8
 Active Listening

 asking for more information and stating one's own

feelings is another way to show active listening.
 In Japanese we call AIZUSHI
 In Arabic “‫”العيون مغاريف الحكي‬
 Active Listening

 Five strategies create active responses

 Paraphrase content. Feedback using your own words.

 Mirror the speaker’s feelings. Identify the feelings you think you hear

 State your own feelings. Works especially well when you are angry.

 Ask for information or clarification. When necessary

 Offer to help solve the problem. iI one exists

 Active Listening

 Instead of simply mirroring what the other person says,

many of us immediately respond in a way that analyzes
or attempts to solve or dismiss the problem.
 ‫ال يبحث عن حل المشكلة بل يريد التعاطف معه على انه يواجه اوقات‬
‫عصيبة‬

 People with problems need first of all to know that we

hear that they're having a rough time.
Blocking Responses versus
Active Listening

17-12
 How do I show people that I’m
listening to them?

 Acknowledgment responses help carry the

message that you’re listening
 The mainstream U.S. culture shows
attention and involvement by making eye
contact, leaning forward, and making
acknowledgment responses

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 Can I use these techniques if I really
disagree with someone?

 Good listening enables you to find out why

your opponent objects to the programs or
ideas you support
 If you really listen to the people you
disagree with, you show that you respect
them.

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 To Show You’re Listening

 To show people that you are listening, acknowledge

comments with:
 Words.
 Nonverbal symbols.
 Actions.
 Can I use these techniques if I really
disagree with someone?

 Most of us do our worst listening when we are in

highly charged emotional situations, such as talking
with someone with whom we really disagree, getting
bad news, or being criticized.

 At work, you need to listen even to people with whom

you have major conflicts.

 Good listening is crucial when you are criticized,

especially by your boss.
 Unit Five

End of Module 17