Chapter Three Listening Scanned with CamScannerchapter outline Listening at Work The Importance of Listening Assumptions about Listening Barrlers to Effective Listening Environmental Barriers Physiological Barriers Psychological Barriers Listening Styles Relational Listening Analytical Listening Task-Oriented Listening Ciitcal Listening Listening More Effectively Listening to Understand Listening to Evaluate e Listening at Work “T told her we were meeting this Tuesday, not next Tuesday. Now we have to reschedule the meeting, and we may not make the deadline.” “He said he was listening, but he didn't give me a minute to talk before he started interrupting. That's the last time I'll try to suggest a better way to do anything around here!” “Something went wrong down the line. I warned those people to watch the temperature care- fully, but they don’t listen. Now a whole batch is spoiled. What does it take to get them to understand?” Situations like these are disturbingly common in busi- ness. They show how frequent listening failures are and how costly they can be. You may not be able to make others listen better, but you can certainly boost your own ability to listen carefully to the scores of import- ant messages you are likely to hear every day. chapter objectives After reading this chapter you should be able to: 1. Describe how effective listening can contrib- ute to your career success, and how false assumptions about listening could impede your career. 2. Identify three major barriers to listening effectively, and outline strategies for over- coming each barrier. 3. Analyze your listening style(s), and explain how you might use this knowledge to under- stand others better. 4. Apply the six guidelines for listening to understand and be able to create appropriate paraphrasing responses in given situations; apply the guidelines with regard to the evi- dence and appeals when listening to evaluate. 5. Evaluate various listening approaches you could use in a specific situation and describe the best approach to accomplish your goals and enhance your career relationships with others As you will learn in this chapter, listening effec- tively is hard work. It involves far more than sitting passively and absorbing others’ words. Listening occurs far more frequently than speaking, readi writing, and it is just as demanding and important as those aspects of communication The Importance of Listening In his best-selling book, Stephen Covey identifies lis- tening—understanding others’ messages before making one’s own understood—as one of the “seven habits of highly effective people.”' Former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocea endorsed this belief: You have to be able to listen well if you're going to motivate the people who work for you. Right there, that’s the difference between ‘a mediocre company and a great company. The most fulfilling thing for me as a manager is to ‘watch someone the system has labeled as just 63 Scanned with CamScannerPart Two Personal skills, own, all because someone has listened average or medivere really come into hi to his problems and helped him solve them, Rescarch backs up these claims, In numerous studies, listening has proved t0 be 4, most important communication skill throughout one’s career in terms of job and care, success, productivity, upward mobility, and organizational effectiveness. Listening is valuable even before your career gets started. Job-hunters can respony best in employment interviews by engaging in active listening.” Once you have foung , new job, listening can help you learn the ropes. Career consultant Andrea Sutcliffe py, it this way: “If you had to choose one interpersonal skill to work on in your first year on the job, pick listening, It will be the single most important tool you will have jog getting along and getting ahead."> Listening remains important throughout your career. Indeed, when 1,000 execy were asked to list the ideal manager's skills, listening ranked number one.*” Along promoting individual success, effective listening is vital to organizations. As fo ¢ corporate executive and entrepreneur Glen Llopis wrote: Leaders who listen are able to create trustworthy relationships that are transparen: and breed loyalty. You know the leaders who have their employees’ best interests at heart because they truly listen to them.* Assumptions about Listening When it comes to communication, most people pay more attention to sending messages than to receiving them. This imbalance comes from several mistaken assumptions. Faulty Assumption 1: Effective Communication Is the Sender's Responsibility Both senders and receivers share responsibility for effective com- munication. Senders must communicate clearly and monitor the effectiveness of their communication by being attentive to receivers’ feedback. Receivers should paraphrase and ask questions to ensure that they have understood the messages that senders com municate, As management expert Peter Drucker suggests, even the most thoughtful. well-expressed idea will be wasted if the intended receiver fails to listen, Both the speaker and the listener share the burden of responsibility in reaching an understanding.” Faulty Assumption 2: Listening Is Passive Some communicators mistak- enly assume that listening is easy, requiring only the quiet absorption of a speakers words. What these communicators are actually describing is hearing. As John A. Kline says, “Hearing is the reception of sound, listening is the attachment of meaning to the sound,” The latter activity is also referred to as active listening, or nonverbal and ver bal attentiveness to a speaker. Active listeners maintain eye contact with speakers, 10d their heads and smile, provide feedback, and reduce distractions such as cell phones. Sometimes listeners must also speak—to ask questions or paraphrase the sender's ideas. making sure they have understood those ideas. Good listeners are far from passive. Famous attorney Louis Nizer described how he would often emerge dripping with sweat from a day in court spent mostly listening. SpertY executive Del Kennedy, commenting on his company’s well-known listening training pr gram, says, “Most people don’t know how exhausting listening can be."!! The benefits are well worth the exhaustion, however: Active listening has been shown to be more effective for retaining information, and it also makes a speaker feel more comfortable Faulty Assumption 3: Talking Has More Advantages At first glan¢®> it seems that speakers control conversations while listeners are the followers. The peoP!® Scanned with CamScannerTT Careless Listening Leads to Ridicule On the first day of her social versity student Sarth Grunfeld yas outrages wenn hea! Professor Cameron Johnston say "Alden sen be sterilized.” Grunfeld immediately reported hee account of the lecture to 9 Campus advocacy grou accused Johnston of being a bigot, and called fee ee to be Fired Within a few hours, the Slory went viral pet Jolnston came under inmate presse an rang Tae university's investigation found that Grunfec) missed an important point in Johnston's commons fone understood clearly by several hundred ater Studies class, York Uni who do the talking are the ones who ¢; stand how talking can be viewed as tt Talking instead of listening can One analysis of physician-patient int more they got off track and failed to Despite the value of talking, equally important. Consider the a every minute a salesperson spends listening, objections.” “aplure everyone's attention, so he pathway to success, lead professionals to miss important information. ferviews revealed that the more doctors talked, the address concerns raised by the patients.'? savvy businesspeople understand that listening is ‘dvice of communication consultant Bill Acheson: case STUDY students in the class, Johnston had explained that the beliel that “all Jews should be sterilized” is an exam- ple of an unacceptable and dangerous opinion. When it became known that Professor Johnston (who Jewish) did not make an anti-Semitic statement in class, Grunfeld came under attack. She was publicly ridiculed by bloggers and mainstream media for her poor listening skills, hair-trigger reaction, and unwill- ingness t accept even partial responsibility for the misunderstanding, Source: Kennedy, B., “Jewish Prof Forced to Defend Himself ‘Against Anti-Semitism Claims," Toronta Star, September 14, 2011 is casy to under- “For he or she will save four minutes overcoming Communication expert Susan Peterson reinforces the value of superior listening ski] ‘Too many times, whether it's with e-mail, voice mail, or Internet, we are concen- trating on the art of telling, not listening. Yet good listening, in my opinion, is 80 to 90 percent of being a good manager and an effective leader. . - Listening is one of the best ways to keep high touch in your organization, In your day-to-day meetings with customers, clients, or employees, if you listen—really listen with full eye con- tact and attention—you can own the keys to the communication kingdom.'* Faulty Assumption 4: Lister g Is a Natural Al lity Listening might seem to be a natural ability—like breathing. “After all,” you might say, “T've been listen- ing since I was a child.” Of course, we could all say the same thing about talking. Even though almost everyone listens, however, that does not mean most people do it well Evidence suggests that most people overestimate their ability to listen well. In one study, a group of managers rated their listening skills. Astonishingly, not one of them described himself or herself as a “poor” or “very poor” listener, while 94 percent rated themselves as “good” or “very good!” listeners. The favorable self-ratings contrasted sharply with the perceptions of the managers’ subordinates, many of whom said their bosses’ listening skills were weak.'® ‘Most organizations, including major corporations such as 3M, AT&T, General Elec- tric, and Dun and Bradstreet, have invested in developing their employees listening skills,.° Xerox Corporation's program for improving listening has been used by more than 1.5 million employees than $4 million to advertise its message: “We know how important it is to listen in 71,000 companies, and Sperry Corporation invested more “In 65 Scanned with CamScannerETHICAL Challenge Monitoring Employees’ Emotions Some companies, stich as JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, are becoming increasingly interested in technology that can monitor employees’ physiology, thereby allowing those companies to boost perfor mance, productivity, and compliance. Humanyze, a Boston-based employee analyt company, has used technology developed al Mas- Sachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop high-tech badges that hang around employees’ necks on a lanyard. The badges are slightly larger than a credit card and are equipped with sensors, Motion detectors, and two microphones that track how often employces talk, move, and Where go. These “people analytics” badges do not re the content of what people say, and employer, unable 0 review individuals’ personal qa Employees are also given a choice in whether je. participate in the program. According ty 4 Waber, CEO of Humanyze, “it's exactly like a py bit for your career.” What implications does this technology have jy privacy in the workplace? the ‘Cong Sources: Heath, ‘7, “This Employee 1D Budge Monitor {ens to You at Work—Except in the Bathroom September 7, 2016; Ben Waber. li Washing iy addition, Sperry set up listening seminars for its 87,000 employces to ensure its lising campaign was more than just «string of empty slogans. or e Barriers to Effective Listening Despite the importance of understanding others, research suggests that misunderstandings are the rule, rather than the exception. Conversational partners typically achieve no mow than 25 to $0 percent accuracy in interpreting each other's remarks.” Research shows tht immediately after a 10-minute presentation, a normal tistener can recall only 50 percent of the information presented, Afier 48 hours, the recall level drops to 25 percent." As you read earlier in the book, three types of “noise” get in the way of receiving messages: nmental, physiological, and psychological, Environmental Barriers The racket on a factory floor or the conversational buzz. in a crowded room can make it difficult to hear and process messages. Nevertheless, not all environmental barriers involve sound. An overheated office or uncomfortable chairs can also make listening difficult. Ironically, some environmental distractions come from the tools we use to communicate, Incoming phone calls, text messages, notifications, and e-mai distract us from focusing on a conversational partner. You cannot eliminate all environmental barriers, but you can often manage them. Suggest moving your conversation 10 a quieter location. Eliminate distractions and perfume at the table next to us is getting to me. Can we mov munication channels ("Let me call you back on a landline.") can all annoyances ("That "’). Choose more reliable com Physiological Barriers For some people, poor listening results from actual heari loss. Once recognized, these deficiencies can usually be ti such as earaches and headaches, are temporary, permanent, the effects can be problem: 1g deficiencies such as hearing reated, Other hearing problems, Whether the problem is short term of ic for communicat ion. 66 Scanned with CamScannerChopter 3 Listening 67 Another physiological ct slow rate of most speech and the branes teners can process information the rate of speech for most spea us with a great deal of ment the speaker's ideas, it is all from the difference between the ity (0 process messages more qui At a Fate of approximately 500 words per min Kers is about 125 words per minute. ‘This differs te {00 easy to let your mind wander, relatively ickly. Lis- ute, while nce leaves, 10 explore Psychological Barriers Some of the most pervasive and daunting barriers \o effective listening are psychologica Ter streatce (lerlere with people's willingness to listen as wath their mental capacity for effective listening, Preoccupation Business mind on the subject at hand, E difficult to keep your ion is important, other Problems you have with the babysitter Figure 3.1 illustrates several w: ‘ays in which preoccupation can focusing on a speaker's message Message Overload Ina World filled with smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other Personal digital devices, individuals face a challenge today that earlier generations never encountered: “multicommunicating™”? It is difficult to listen carefully when People keep dropping in to give you quick messages: a coworker has just handed You cost estimates on @ new Product line; and your smartphone continuously beeps to let you know you have incoming calls, mail, text messages, and appointments, Coping with a deluge of information is like juggling —you can keep only a few things going at one time” Many students pride themselves on their ability to multitask, but neurological evidence suggests that people really multiple tasks at the same time.” Human brains waste AS a consequence, we are much more effective and ata time—and pay attention to one message at a time. lag time each time we switch gears, efficient when we complete one task Egocentrism One common reason for listening poorly is the belief—usually mis ‘aken—that your own ideas are more important or valuable than those of others, Besides Liheer’s (Usually most productive) ‘small departures Tangent fe Line of communication ur 3 ineof communication Large fearare\. Private argument yp lineot u ‘communication ine of communication \ FIGURE 3.1 Thought Patterns - Source: Wolvin, A. D., & Coakley, G., Perspectives on Listening. Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1993. Scanned with CamScannerCULTURE at work Cultural Differences in Listening Listening is of b "ing is often regarded as a fundamental aspect easiness. Understanding how individuals from cial tational cultures perceive listening is espe- 'y important in today’s globalized business world. The distracted and attentive listening behaviors of ‘male and female managers and nonmanagers in India, Malaysia, and the United States were studied by one team of researchers. They found that differing national Cultures, organizational position (manager versus non- manager), and gender affect listening in the work- place. Their key findings include: © Males are more prone to engage in distracted American females and males are less likely thy attentive. @ Managers are less likely to engage in distraciay listening than nonmanagers. © American managers are more distracted in thy listening than nonmanagers. fe Indian and Malaysian managers are less gis, tracted listeners than nonmanagers. Indian managers are more likely t0 be attentive American and Malaysian managers are less prong to being attentive listeners than nonmanagers, Source: Roebuck, D. B., Bell, R. L., & Ean, C., “The Effects of Home Country, Gender, and Position on Listening Behaviog Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conf, listening than are females. 19(2), 2015, 93-120. preventing you from learning useful new information, such an egocentric attitude is likely to alienate the very people with whom you need to work. Self-centered listeners are raed lower on social attractiveness than communicators who are open to others’ ideas.” As an old saying puts it, “Nobody ever listened themselves out of a job.” Ethnocentrism Cultural ignorance or prejudices can create psychological noise that interferes with understanding others. Consider accents: Some communicators mis- takenly assume individuals with accented speech are less intelligent and less able to > When operating a company in a foreign market, brands often suffer when staff at the company’s headquarters refuse to listen (o prospective customers and meet their cultural needs in the foreign market in which they wish to operate. Nissan ternational operations when it attempted to market the company’s cars abroad using the same strategies it utilized in the domestic market (Japan). Tetyana Panchuk, director of a marketing company in Lon- don, explains, “[A]fter several years of its international trading, the company realized that [an] ethnocentric international marketing orientation is no longer relevant for some industry in which they were operating.” Fear of Appearing Ignorant Some businesspeople perceive asking for clarification as a sign of ignorance. Rather than seek clarification, they pretend to under stand—often with unfortunate consequences. In truth, a sincere desire to seek clarifica- My first boss . . . is one of the smartest people I know. He was smart enough and comfortable enough with himself to ask really elementary (some would say dumb) ‘questions. The rest of us were scared stiff; we assumed that since we were being paid an exorbitant fee, we shouldn't ask dumb questions. But the result was we'd lose 90 percent of the strategic value of the interview because we were afraid to Mostly, it’s the “dumb,” elementary questions, followed up by a dozen more understand spoken words experienced this form of ethnocentrism early in its industries, including the automot tion can pay dividends, as management guru Tom Peters recalls: display ovr ignorance. ‘elementary questions, that yield the pay dirt.2> 68 Scanned with CamScannerChapter 3 Listening e Listening Styles Not everyone listens the same way. Research has id listening style, or a particular Motivation for listen Ideally, after you identity yo or Relational Listening People who are primarily focused i i on relational |i i sonally connecting with others. They listen to underaee se concerned with emo- their emotions, and are hight '© understand how others feel, are aware of usually nonjudgmental about Y FesPonsive to those individuals. Relational listeners ave what others have to say, cvasP eet at work; there can be a positive benefit. Listening wever, It is eas i ith ’ 'y to become overly involved with others’ feel- ings, and even (0 internalize and adopt them, In an effert to be ‘congenial and supportive, giving. They also risk being who don’t want to connect len a relational listener Perceived as overly expressive and even intrusive by speakers on a personal level. Analytical Listening People who are most interested in an; the full message before coming to judgment. They want to hear detail See to 8 ei es aetereki es Mowe thas Ban engine coiclin neqeti sees his © odes © Greg ta conderrmte thinking, Many comsicics bas «1 Ombuds staff to investigate and attempt to resolve complaints. Analytical listening, is Particularly important to the ombuds personnel, as they must carefully consider all of the information they receive about the complaint before making « recommendation, Analytical listeners can be especially helpful when the goal is to thoroughly assess the quality of ideas, and when there is value in looking at issues from a wide range of perspectives, On the downside, their thor- ough approach can be time consuming. It may take them a long time (o reach a conclusion, so when a deadline is appr may not respond as quickly as desired, alytical listening are concerned with attending to id analyze an ng they Task-Oriented Listening People who are inclined to task-oriented listening are most inter- ested in getting the job done. Because efficiency is their biggest concern, they expect speakers to get their point across quickly and to stay on topic, Not surprisingly, task-oriented listeners are often tient, . ina fast-paced business environment, task-oriented listeners can help keep things functioning efficiently. Unfortunately, os impatience can sometimes strain relationships eave oe oriented listeners are generally not good at responding empathetically Graham BelliCorbis RE Scanned with CamScanner 69Part Two Personal Skills, and have a tendency toward verbal aggressiveness. Also, an excessive focus on time cay hamper the kind of thoughtful deliberation that some. jobs require. Critical Listening People engaged in critical listening have a strong desire to evaluate messages with the Purpose of accepting or rejecting them. Critical listeners go beyond trying to understang the topic at hand by seeking to assess its quality. Not surprisingly, critical listeners teng to focus on the accuracy and consistency of a message Critical listening can be especially helpful when the goal is to investigate a problem, as in a police interview or a safety concern at an oil and gas refinery. More problema. ically, people who are critical listeners can frustrate others, who may think that they nitpick everything others say. e Listening More Effectively Social scientists have identified two levels of listening—mindless and mindful.”* Mindless listening occurs when we react to others’ messages automatically and routinely, without much mental investment. The term mindless sounds negative, but sometimes this sort of low-level processing can be useful because it frees us to focus our minds on messages that require more careful attention.”” The challenge, of course, is to pay enough attention to decide which messages need more careful attention. By contrast, mindful listening involves giving careful and thoughtful attention and responses to the messages we receive. You might imagine the value of mindful listening is so obvious that it hardly needs mentioning. In fact, business and professional communicators recognize that thoughtful listening is difficult and needs cultivating. At General Mills, for example, empl all levels—including more than 80 vice presidents and directors—have voluntarily signed up for mindfulness programs ranging from a half-day to seven weeks in duratio ‘One important step toward mindful listening is to be clear about your goal in a given situation. Are you listening to understand the other person, or are you listening critically to evaluate the message? Once you have answered this fundamental question, the fol lowing tips can help you listen more effectively. Listening to Understand Most of us would claim we always aim to understand what others are saying, but a introspection will show we are often focused on other tasks: mentally (or overtly) arg with the speaker, daydreaming, thinking about other tasks, and so on. Following the advice here can boost your accuracy in listening mindfully to the messa Withhold Judgment _ In his study of highly effective people, Stephen Covey sti it best: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” It is often difficult to ty © understand another person's ideas before judging him or her, especially when you hold strong opinions on the matter under discussion, For example, you might ask for @ tomer’s reaction to your company's product or service and then spend your mental ener’ judging the answer instead of trying to understand it, (“Doesn't this guy have anythite better to do than make petty complaints?” “Yeah, sure, he'd like us to deliver on a tight” schedule, but he'd scream his head off if we billed him for the overtime.") Or you mish find yourself judging the ideas of a boss, coworker, or subordinate before he or she finished explaining them. ("Uh-oh. I hope this doesn't mean I have to spend a week #® the field, trying t0 get market information.” “These college kids come in. and wart © take over right away") Listen first, Make sure you understand. ‘Then evaluate. Scanned with CamScannerListening to Voice Mail easing problems are Nol just an issue for communi ors with physical impairments, The racket of back- ean noise offen makes it difficult to hear and anaerstand messages—especially those played back amie tinny speakers in most telephones. Some prod- As seek 10 decipher voice mail messages more ‘yearly by transcribing the caller's spoken words into feat that ean e viewed on the display of « smart Tone or computer. Besides saving you the time it jakes to replay voice mail (Perhaps more than once!),, these services a © services allow you to check for calls in a noisy = : ree tonment, do so unobtrusively, and obtain a text record Of what callers said. This technology has ‘OMe So popular that Apple added the voice mail transcription feature to its iOS 10 update i estoy iOS 10 update in Septem- OF course, transcription apps are not foolproof. ‘They do not capture the vocal qualities that can affect the meaning of a message, and they often bungle spe- cific words When in doubt about the accuracy of a ranscription, it is smart to listen to the audio version of a message before jumping to conclusions. Talk and Interrupt Less Sometimes the best approach to listening is to stay out of the way and encourage the other person to talk. One marketing expert explained how, even in sales, silence can be more effective than talking: if ‘The 20/80 rule is a standard in small-business principles. Twenty percent of your customers account for 80 percent of your business, Here's a variation of the” theme. . .. When meeting with prospective customers for the first time, listen 80 percent of the time and talk the other 20 percent. Your job is to listen atten- tively and determine what your prospects require. Before they are prepared to listen to your pitch, they want to tell you what they're looking for." If you are normally a talkative person, consider rationing your comments when trying to listen. Imagine you have only a finite number of words available so that you speak only when it is absolutely necessary. You may be surprised at how the quality of your conversations and your level of understanding improve Ask Questions Sincere questions are genuine requests for information. They can be a terrific way to gather facts and details, clarify meanings, and encourage a speaker to | elaborate. Former University of Kentucky basketball coach Rick Pitino learned the impor- tance of asking questions after he lost a key recruit by trying to sell the virtues of his program instead of listening to what concerned his prospect. Later, when he courted another potential star (Tony Delk), he used a more effective approach: This time, instead of trumpeting Kentucky's virtues, he asked questions: what Delk wanted from a coach, what the family wanted for their son in college. For an hour, he just asked questions and nodded a lot, listening to their answers Not only did Pitino get Delk, but four years later, Delk helped lead Kentuck to its sixth national championship and Pitino’s first, “That's one of my favorites.” ino says, “That's one I like to tell business groups because it illustrates how important it is to listen to people.” While sincere, focused questions can be a powerful tool, counterfeit questions are really disguised forms of advice or subtle traps: “Have you ever considered offering more money to get experienced people?” or "Why haven't you told me about this?” Counterfeit questions like these can pollute a communication climate just as quickly as any direct attack. Scanned with CamScanner nPart Two Personal Skills Paraphrase Paraphrasing involves restating # speaker's ideas in your own words to make sure you have understood them correctly and to show the other person that fac Paraphrasing is often preceded by phrases such as “Let me make sure | understand whay you're saying..." or “In other words, you're saying « .." When you are paraphrasing, it is important nor to become a parrot, mindlessly repeating the peaker's statements worg for word, Understanding comes from translating the speaker's thoughts into your own language and then playing them back to ensure their accuracy. After paraphrasing, it js important that you invite the speaker (o verify your paraphrase so you know whether you accurately understood him or her or to clarify your paraphrase and clear up wha you have misunderstood. The following conversations illustrate the difference be tive paraphrasing: ween effective an Ineffective Print Supervisor: I'm having trouble getting the paper t0 run that job. That's why I'm behind schedule. I see. You can't get the paper to run the job, so you're Plant Manager: running behind schedule. Print Supervisor: ‘Yeah. That's what I said. ‘After this exchange, the plant manager still does not have a clear idea of the prob- Jem—why the print supervisor cannot get the paper, or what he means when he says be cannot get it. Rather than paraphrasing the message by putting the print supervisor's state- ments into his or her own words, the plant manager simply repeats what was said. More effective paraphrasing could help get to the root of the problem: Effective Print Supervisor: I'm having trouble getting the paper to run that job. That's why I'm running behind schedule. Plant Manager: In other words, your paper supplier hasn’t shipped the paper you need for this job. Print Supervisor: No, they shipped it, but it’s full of flaws Plant Manager: So the whole shipment is bad? Print Supervisor: No, only about a third of it, But T've got to get the whole batch replaced, or the dye lots won't match—the saper wont be exactly the same color. Plant Manager: No problem—the colors can bea Tile off, But Ines a eas half of hat oder by Tuesday the rest ean wait a coe of «Can you print on the good paper you have now, then > the rest when the new paper comes in? Print Supervisor: Sure. Scanned with CamScannerChapter 3 Listening 73 at first glance. questioning and paraphrasing may seem ide they are different tools, Questions seek new, additional wen are we?” "When did it hegin?”), whereas paraphna “This is an important difference, s of paraphrasing can be used, Al ig . Although the paWenchl isauces i au oti wwe, euch focuses on a different part of that ene an felecting te ‘tical, but a closer Jook formation (“How far ng clarifies what a speaker as a ‘Three type rasing content The preceding example i a pack the receiver's undersianding of the expt east a rasing, which rstand another person, only to find Tater that you were wrong, At is ma oink a wasn is 2 Rind of safely check tht can highligh and clay sundestandings eine who practice paraphrasing are astonished to find out how many times ale eof or add information to a message that had seemed perfectly ean nT poraphrasing intent Besides helping you understand whar = Gers are saying, paraphrasing can help you learn why they have ' sroxen up. Imagine that, ata staff meeting, the boss announces, Saat week, we'll start using this display board to show when x out ofthe office and where we've gone.” It's easy to imag. we two quite different reasons for setting up this procedure: (1) to help Keep customers and colleagues informed about where fach person is and when he or she will return, or (2) to keep track of employees because the boss suspects some are slacking Gif on company time, Paraphrasing intent can help you under- Stand what people mean when they make statements that can be interpreted in more than one way. HONGO! ZHANGN23RF Paraphrasing feeling Often, the speaker’s feelings are the most important part of a message Despite this fact, most people do not express—or even recognize—their emotions. Ask yourself which emotions might be contained in these statements: “That's the third time he canceled an appointment on me—who does he think he is?” “Whenever a deadline comes, I get excuses instead of results—this can't go on much longer.” “One minute she says we have to spend money to make money, and the next min- ute she talks about cutting costs—I can’t figure out what she really wants, In each of these examples, there arc at least two or three possible emotions: Statement 1: anger, hurt, and self-doubt. Statement 2: anger, frustration, and worry. Statement 3: anger and confusion. rent emotion can give the speaker a chance to : “Yeah, I guess it did hurt my feeling f response can help the other person clarify Paraphrasing the appai agree with or contradict your interpretation: or “rm more worried than mad,” In either case, this sort o how he or she is feeling and deal with the emotions. Attend to Nonverbal Cues Focusing on a spea ker's nonverbal cues may tell You more than his or her words. Watch for the “iceberg tips” thar Tet you Anow if the Speaker might say more, especially if encouraged 10 «lo so. The next chapter explains in detail the wealth of nonverbal cues that are always available (0 youEestanes pos: tures, vocal tones, facial expression, and more. Scanned with CamScannerPart Two Personal Skills Nonverbal cues can he especially useful in interpreting another person's feclingg and attitudes, You cun get a sense of how emotions are communicated nonverbal} by imagining all the different messages that might be conveyed by the following statements, How many different ways ean you imagine each could be expressed Which different meaning might each set of nonverbal cues convey’ “No, nothing’s the matter’ “We should get together one of these days.” “L would like to talk with you in my office.” “Nobody's ever had that idea before.” Besides attending to others’ nonverbal cues, itis also useful to pay attention to your own. To understand why, visualize how a conversational partner would react depending on how you behaved ina discussion, What signals would you be sending if you leaned back in your chair, gazed around the room, or yawned? By contrast, what messages would you be sending if you sat forward, kept eye contact, and occasionally nodded or uttered “mm hmm"? You may say you're listening, but how you behave nonverbally will create a stronger impression. Take Notes When the conversation involves details or ideas you need to remem- ber, notes can be essential, Note-taking can also signal to speakers that you care enough to write down what they are saying. It can even cause speakers to consider their words more carefully. As an added bonus, if a question ever arises about the details of a con- versation, you can say with confidence, “Let me check my notes.” Listening to Evaluate Once you are sure you understand a message, you are ready to evaluate its quality. Most evaluations are based on two levels of analysis: evidence and emotion. Analyze the Speaker's Evidence As a critical listener, you need to ask your. self several questions about the evidence that a speaker gives to support his or her state ments, What evidence does the order fulfillment manager give that the current computer system is causing problems or that a new one will be better? Does a sales representative back up the claim that a product will pay for itself in less than a year? ‘Once you have identified the evidence, you need to make sure it is valid. The success of the flexible-hours program instituted in the New York office does not mean the same program will work as well in the factory in West Virginia, where a certain number of people have to be operating the machinery at any given time, The two or three employees who are unhappy with the new office furniture might be the exceptions rather than the majority, while the one or two satisfied customers you hear about could be the only happy ones, Carefully researched statistics that look at more than a few isolated cases are a much stronger form of proof than a few random example: The following questions can help you to examine the overall validity of supporting material: ° Is the evidence given true? Are enough cases cited? Are the cited cases representative of the whole being considered? Are there any exceptions to the points the speaker is making? Do these exceptions need to be considered? Scanned with CamScannerUse a Telephone Log E-mail provides a virtually automatic record of your correspondence, but telephone conversations are ephemeral. Keeping a simple written log can help you maintain your records, prevent false claims, and reestablish contacts, For example, a log can remind you of the name of the agent to whom you spoke, the date and time of an appointment you have set up, or the model number of a product you are researching. Weeks later, it may be important to tell a client, coworker. or supervisor of all the attempts (successful and unsuccessful) you made to contact that person. ‘You can also rely on your notes to remind others about information and commitments they have made, such as a reservation, promised delivery date, or a price quote: “The job won't be ready until November 15? But last Friday, Rose in your office promised me that it would be done by the first of the month.” A log can even remind people about what they did nor say or do. For example, you might respond to a complaint that Examine Emotional Appeals Sometimes emotional reactions are a valid basis for action. The sympathy we feel for underprivileged children is a good reason for donating money to their welfare. The desire to cut down on your own fatigue may be a good Feason to hire an assistant. In other cases, emotional appeals can obscure important logical considerations that might otherwise dissuade you from accepting a proposal. We can see this by thinking about fund-raisers who seek money for underprivileged children. Your sympathy might not justify allowing a fund-raiser to wander around your building soliciting funds from employees: Your employees could resent being asked to give money to your favorite cause rather than one of theirs, especially if they have just been asked to donate to another cause. The particular agency asking for your donation might not be the best vehicle for helping underprivileged children: It may have excessive overhead so that much of your contribution never reaches any children, or other organizations might serve needier people. Ina business and professional environment, you will encounter a variety daily. Effective listening will be crucial to making informed decisions wh persuasive messages that utilize emotional appeals and arguments that sound plausible. information on persuasive appeals appears in Chapter 12. CAREER tip you have not kept a customer informed by explaining, “Actually, I've phoned three times before today: on April 4, 11, and 18, Each time your voice mail picked up, and I left a message telling you the job was ready.” For most purposes, a phone log does not have to be elaborate, but it should usually include the follow- ing information: ¢ Date and time the call was placed. © Subject of the call, © Phone number called, ¢ Whether this call is a part of a series (ie., a follow-up or response to an earlier call). Unsuccessful attempts to contact (busy signal, no answer, malfunctioning voice mail). © Messages left on voice mail or with another person Name of the person with whom you spoke. ‘© Key points you and the other person made. “I'm not convinced that’s the best strategy. Then again, | wasnt listening.” Used by permission of Mare Tylst Noblemsn ve fore your Scanned with CamScannerreview points © Listening is the most frequent communication activity at work, Listening effectively helps the onganization and assists you in achieving your personal goals, © A number of faulty assumptions about listening an impede effective understanding. nvironmental, physiological, and psychological barriers (e42.. preoccupation, overload, egocentrism, ethnocentrism, and fear of appearing ignorant) can interfere with effective listening. key terms active listening 64 analytical listening 69 counterfeit question 71 critical listening 70 mindful listening 70 4. Invitation to Insight a. Recall three on-the-job incidents in which you had difficulty listening effectively. For each incident, describe which of the following fac- tors interfered with your listening effectiveness: 1, Environmental barriers 2. Physiological barriers 3. Psychological factors b. Develop a list of ways you could overcome the major barriers that prevent you from listening more effectively. 2. Invitation to Insight Read several articles about multitasking. For example, you might want to consult the following: ‘e “Myths about Effective Student Multitasking Exposed”: http://www.westernherald.com/news! ‘campus/myths-about-effective-student- multitasking-exposed/?utm_soure: 76 MASTER the chapter and understanding the chara eferred listening style (rlaiggy ask-oriemted, OF critical an gy «Knowing ‘of your pre analytical, € listening sty! ion. Listening 40 understand requites thn, judgment, talking and interrupting less, ot Feeback by asking sincere (HOt Counter questions, paraphrasing. attending t nn cues, and taking notes. ‘s Evaluative listening involves analyzing bey. speaker's evidence and emotional eppezi. es will help you adapt up 4 aye bey mindless listening 70 paraphrasing 72 relational listening 69 sincere question 71 task-oriented listening 69 rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaigs= myths-about-effective-student-multitas exposed ¢ “Is Multitasking More Efficient? Shifting Me tal Gears Costs Time, Especi. to Less Familiar Tas php?storyld=952, Write a short summary of «> about multitasking. Next, identity try 10 attend to while you are x: realistic time schedule for the aside adequate time for studyine. $ rate times for the other activities you lear to do during study time, Try to so. this SS tile for the next Week, Then, shar> your results with classmates. What did you lear ylsout mul tasking? How did it affect your stlying? Your Scanned with CamScanner