BSE - I English

Effective Listening
Keith Marianne R. Ceremonia
 What is listening?
Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret
messages in the communication process. Listening is key to all
effective communication. Without the ability to listen
effectively, messages are easily misunderstood.
Types of Listening

Active Listening

Passive Listening
Selective Listening

Attentive Listening

Critical Listening
Content Listening
 ACTIVE LISTENING
It is also called paraphrasing and empathic listening.

The advantages of Active Listening>

Active Listening shows respect to the speaker

Active Listening helps the listener stay focused on the

conversation, and to remember what he or she says.

Makes you approachable - As you present yourself as a

patient listener, people feel more naturally inclined to
communicate with you. By being there for them, you give
them the freedom to express their feelings.
PASSIVE LISTENING
It refers to inert or indifferent listening.

Passive listening is one-way communication where the receiver doesn't

provide feedback or ask questions and may or may not understand the
sender's message.

It must be emphasized, as a negative listening behavior. It is, however,

useful when a student engaged in a serious private study has to contend
with music playing nearby which he listens to passively.
SELECTIVE LISTENING
It involves consciously or unconsciously choosing to listen to what is relevant to
you and ignore what isn't.

It is also known as Biased Listening. Someone who uses biased listening

will only listen for information that they specifically want to hear. This
listening process can lead to a distortion of facts. That's because the
person listening isn't fully in tune with what the speaker wishes to
communicate.
It encourages mental filtering and helps tune out the information we
don't want to entertain. In reality, it isn't possible to hear everything
every time.
Levels of Listening

1. MARGINAL LISTENING
If the pace of speaking of the speaker is slow the listener
does marginal listening, which implies that the listener may
let his/her mind stray while someone is talking.

2. EVALUATIVE LISTENING
This occurs when a listener gets free time to evaluate the
speaker's message during oral communication.

3. PROJECTIVE LISTENING
This listening provides the listeners with the greatest
potential for effective communication to utilizing their time
fully.
PROCESS OF LISTENING

Hearing
Decoding

Responding

Comprehending
Remembering
Hearing
The first essential step in listening.
There should be a certain attentiveness or concentration in receiving verbal
messages.
It relates to receiving the words sent out to the speaker for further processing
by the listener.
Decoding
This involves sensing and filtering verbal messages.
The message is decoded by the listener.
After the decoded message thereafter sent to the next process.
Comprehending
The next level of listening consists of understanding.
This activity can also be described as absorbing, grasping, or assimilating.
The listener has now understood what the speaker has tried to convey.
Remembering
The listener stored the message in memory to facilitate the future calls.
Responding
Response of the listener may take place at the end of the conversation or
even earlier.
 Barriers to Effective Listening

Environmental
- Adverse conditions like hot weather

Semantic
- Speaker's style of speaking or mannerisms

Personal
- Fear, anger, and anxiety
- Beliefs, attitudes, and pre-conceived ideas
- Hunger, tiredness, and pain

Socio-cultural
- Different cultural backgrounds-personal
space, sense of time, etc.
Tips for Effective Listening
When done genuinely and appropriately, the following will increase communications and trust.

1. Keep eye contact. Look at the person talking. You’ll have an easier time paying attention, and
they’ll be grateful for your focus.
2. Listen with your body. Nod and gesture with your hands to show you’re keyed into what the
other person is saying. Make sure your posture and movements don’t suggest you’re bored or
restless.
3. Practice patience. When someone is speaking to you, resist the urge to have something ready
to say in return. Listen carefully to what they’re saying before answering.
4. Empathize. Listening isn’t just about the message. Intent and context are important, so try to
make a habit of seeing things from their point of view. Try to really put your feet in the
speaker’s shoes. Avoid comments like, “I totally understand what you are going through.”
5. Acknowledge. No one completely understands what someone else is going through. When we
acknowledge that fact, our credibility as a listener goes way up.
6. Be present. Ask, “Am I present in this conversation?” Keep your focus on track.
7. Avoid answering the electronic interrupter. The phone, PDA, or email can be a useful means of
communication. But if you are with someone, taking an interruption is one of the fastest ways to
show you don’t really care about him or her.
8. Hold one conversation at a time.
Importance of Effective Listening
Effective listening improves your productivity. You’ll have a better
understanding of the conversation and task at hand. You’ll be able to
complete the task correctly the first time and won’t have to re-do your
work.
Listening also helps build your relationships. People have more positive
feelings towards others when they feel heard. This leads to higher levels
of trust and a better relationship.