MODULE PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

CHAPTER 10: THE ART OF LISTENING

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
a.) recognize the importance of listening;
b.) interpret different emotions conveyed in a song;
c.) develop strategies on how to understand meaning through
listening.

THE ART OF LISTENING WELL

Forget about what you were going to say next. Make sure you hear what the other
person says.

By Eugene Raudsepp

A zoologist was walking down a busy

city street with a friend. In the midst of the
honking horns and screeching tires, he
exclaimed to his friend, "Listen to
that cricket!" The friend looked at
the zoologist in astonishment and
said, "You hear a cricket in the
middle of all this noise and
confusion?" Without a word, the
zoologist reached into his pocket,
took out a coin, and flipped it into
the air. As it clinked on the
sidewalk, a dozen heads turned in
response.
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The zoologist said quietly to his friend, "We hear what we listen for."

Day after day, inside and outside of business, we miss important information because
we don't listen with full attention. We also misunderstand and misinterpret messages
and ideas because of our preconceptions, biases, and wishes. Take the manager who
dreaded to see his secretary go away for her two-week vacation. When the secretary
told the boss she'd be taking time off, it just didn't sink in. Said the secretary later: "I told
my boss three times I was planning on taking my vacation in October. It just didn't
register."

Minor slipups in communication can have major repercussions, as any sensitive

manager knows. Lack of communication between you and others in your company can
not only foul up job assignments and raise the cost of doing business, it can also cause
hurt feelings and generally lower morale.

Listening is an art that requires work, self-discipline, and skill. The art of communication
springs as much from knowing when to listen as it does from knowing how to use words
well. Ask any good salesperson or negotiator about the value of silence. He or she will
tell you good listeners generally make more sales and better deals than good talkers.

To sharpen listening skills, you need patience and practice.

HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS THAT HAVE

HELPED OTHERS BECOME BETTER
LISTENERS:

1. RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO MONOPOLIZE

CONVERSATION.

If you like to dominate a situation or feel you

know everything there is to know about a subject, you're probably a poor listener.
Remain open to new ideas instead of impatiently waiting for a chance to butt in with

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what you think is the final word on the subject. Before you speak, make sure that the
speaker has had a chance to make his point. Many people think aloud and tend to
grope toward their meaning. Their initial statements may be only a vague approximation
of what they mean.

2. AVOID JUDGING THE SPEAKER TOO

SOON.

Good listeners try not to become

preoccupied with a speaker's mannerisms or
delivery. Instead of thinking, for instance, "What
a monotone this guy has," ask yourself, "What's
in the message that I should know?" or "What
can this add to my knowledge and experience?"

3. DON'T FAKE ATTENTION.

When we decide that what a speaker has to say

is boring or useless, we frequently pretend to listen. It's
usually quite easy for an attentive listener to recognize
that our "uh-huhs" are really "ho-hums." When he does,
his thinking is likely to become confused, he may get
annoyed, and his delivery will probably deteriorate.

For more knowledge about the art listening please check the link provided:
https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/how-to-be-a-good-listener/
https://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Good-Listener

Attentive listeners remain alert and maintain eye contact. Simple gestures --

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nodding, raising the eyebrows, or leaning forward -- all can convey interest. Occasional
comments, such as "I see," "That's interest," or "Tell me more about that," if said with
genuine interest, can go a long way toward reassuring the speaker.

4. LISTEN FOR IDEAS, AS WELL AS

FACTS.

When we listen, we tend to get bogged

down trying to retain the facts and we miss
the ideas behind them. For example, when a
person starts running through a list of seven
points, the listener immediately begins
mulling over the first point, trying to
remember it. Meanwhile, point two is being
explained. How he's preoccupied with two
facts and is apt to miss the third point altogether. So it goes through point seven: some
facts retained, some missed, and others confused. Instead of getting lost in a string of
disassociated fragments, make an effort to understand what the facts add up to by
relating them to each other and seeing what key
ideas bind them together.

5. BE ALERT TO NONVERBAL CLUES OR

"BODY LANGUAGE

." Try not only to listen to what is said but

also to understand the attitudes and motives that lie
behind the words. Also remember that the speaker
does not always put his entire message into words. For example, there is sometimes

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considerable difference between the auditory cues and the behavioral cues emitted by
the speaker. While his verbal message may convey conviction about a new idea or
proposal, his gestures, posture, facial expressions, and tone of voice may convey doubt
and lack of enthusiasm.

6. USE THE SPEED OF THOUGHT PRODUCTIVELY.

Because we usually think three to four times faster than we talk, we often get impatient
with a speaker's slow progress, and our minds wander. Try using the extra time by
silently reviewing and summarizing the speaker's main points. Then, when he's finished,
you can restate the points and ask the speaker if you've understood the message.
Questions such as "Is this what you mean?" or "Do I understand you correctly?" are not
only supportive because they show your interest, they also reduce the chance of
misunderstanding later on.

For more knowledge about the art listening please check the link provided:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bkS9gnUIXQs
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ijDwlstFe3E

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