ACTIVE LISTENING

[LSRW SKILLS]

[UNIT – I]
[LSRW SKILLS]
[SOFT SKILLS-II]
 ACTIVE LISTENING
▪ WHAT IS LISTENING
o The process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and
responding to spoken and/or non-verbal messages.
Listening is when you receive the sound waves and understand
it by paying full attention to the words and sentences of the
speaker. It is one’s ability to correctly receive and interpret the
message transferred by the other party in the process of
communication.

▪ What does LISTEN FIRST mean

o Listen First to understand rather than to reply
o Listen First before rejecting a conversation
o Listen First before dismissing alternative ideas
o Listen First before launching attacks
o Listen First to more effectively advocate your position

▪ Elements and levels of LISTENING

o Attention—the focused perception of both visual and verbal
stimuli
o Hearing—the physiological act of 'opening the gates to your
ears'
o Understanding—assigning meaning to the messages received
o Remembering—the storing of meaningful information"
▪ WHAT IS ACTIVE LISTENING
o Active listening is the ability to focus completely on a
speaker, understand their message, comprehend the
information and respond thoughtfully.

▪ WHY ACTIVE LISTENING IS IMPORTANT

o It helps you build connections.
o It helps you build trust.
o It helps you identify and solve problems.
o It helps you increase your knowledge and understanding
of various topics.
o It helps you avoid missing critical information.

▪ WHAT IS A GOOD ACTIVE LISTENER?

o Being a good listener means focusing on the person who’s
speaking, not to interrupt or respond but rather just to
hear them out.
o With a good listener, the speaker should feel respected
and understood.

▪ BENEFITS OF BEING A GOOD LISTENER

▪ You’ll be more focused.
▪ You build strong relationships.
▪ You’ll process information better.
▪ Qualities of a GOOD ACTIVE LISTENER
o They’re fully present.
o They don’t listen to respond.
o They react in a moment.
o They don’t have an agenda.
o They don’t jump to give an advice.
o They never interrupt
o They ask follow-up questions
o They listen as much as they speak
o They show that they are listening
o They are patient
o They listen to learn
o They summarize what they’ve heard.

▪ How to become a good team leader by Active

Listening
o Appreciate your teammate to boost their confidence.
o Listen to what your employees have to say rather than
interrupting to put your opinions first.
o Make your employees feel that they are an asset to this
company by encouraging them to share their viewpoints.
o Note each point and make eye contact.
o The best leaders know how to approach their employees
to show empathy when necessary.
o Avoid harsh criticism when you can use a lighter tone to
address the issue.
▪ DO’s
o Maintain eye contact
o Limit your talking
o Focus on the speaker
o Ask questions
o Manage your emotions
o Listen with your eyes and ears
o Listen for ideas and opportunities
o Remain open to the conversation
o Confirm understanding, paraphrase
o Give nonverbal messages that you are listening (nod,
smiles)
o Ignore distractions

▪ DON’T: -
o Interrupt
o Show signs of impatience
o Judge or argue mentally
o Multitask during a conversation
o Project your ideas
o Think about what to say next
o Have expectations or preconceived ideas
o Become defensive or assume you are being attacked
o Use condescending, aggressive, or closed body language
o Listen with biases or closed to new ideas
o Jump to conclusions or finish someone’s sentences.
▪ TYPES OF LISTENING
1. Appreciative listening
• When you listen for appreciation, you are listening for
enjoyment. A good example is listening to music, especially as
a way to relax.
2. Empathic Listening
• When you listen empathically you are doing so to show mutual
concern. During this type of listening, you are trying to identify
with the speaker by understanding the situation in which
he/she is discussing.
• Empathic listening involves attempting to understand the
feelings and emotions of the speaker
• This type of listening does not involve making judgements or
offering advice but gently encouraging the speaker to explain
and elaborate on their feelings and emotions.

3. Comprehensive Listening
• This process is active. This is one of the more difficult types of
listening because it requires you to not only concentrate but to
actively participate in the process.
• Comprehensive listening involves understanding the message
or messages that are being communicated.
4. Critical Listening
• Critical listening is listening to evaluate the content of the
message. As a critical listener you are listening to all
parts of the message, analysing it, and evaluating what
you heard.
 ▪ What is HEARING
o Hearing is the ability to perceive sound by detecting
vibrations through the ear.
o The hearing is nothing but a sense that helps you receive
sound waves and noise by ears. It is the power of
perceiving sounds.

▪ Difference between HEARING & LISTENING

HEARING LISTENING
Meaning Hearing refers to one's Listening is something
ability to perceive done consciously, that
sounds, by receiving involve the analysis and
vibrations through ears. understanding of the
sounds you hear.
Type an ABILITY a SKILL
Nature Primary & continuous Secondary & temporary
Act Physiological Psychological
Process Passive bodily active mentally
Occurs at subconscious level conscious level
concentration not required required