Barriers to Effective Listening

A. Environmental
1. Nonhuman initiated
2. Human initiated
B. Physiological /Mental
1. Congenital hearing impairment
2. Ear infection
3. Hunger and thirst
4. Thought speed
5. Information speed
6. Vocabulary load
7. Other common illnesses
C. Psychological
1. Biases and faulty assumptions
2. Preoccupation
3. Psychological distractors

How do you know that you are a poor listener?

1. You allow your mind to wander.

2. Other people prefer to speak to or be served by someone else.
3. You respond emotionally to the speaker.
4. You let your problems paralyze your listening skills.
5. You let your biases interfere with your listening.
6. You find yourself missing key details of the conversation.
7. You often ask people to repeat information.
8. You walk away from personal encounters not completely knowing what action is
required of you.
9. People often say to you,” Did you hear what I said?”
10. You find yourself daydreaming or distracted as other people speak.
11. You miss accompanying nonverbal cues sent by the speaker.
12. You give false feedback.
13. You listen only for facts.
14. You just want to be entertained when listening.
15. You are really distracted by the speaker’s mannerisms.

Assignment: Do research on the strategies to improve listening.