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Learning Module 1

Listening Skills
Course Packet 01

Stages of the
Listening Process

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Course Code : ESEN0113

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Learning Module Code : LM-ESEN0113

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Course Packet Code : LM-ESEN0113-01

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Learning Module: English Skills Enhancement 1

Learning Module: English Skills Enhancement 2
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Course Packet 01

Stages of the Listening Process

Course Packet 01

Introduction
Packet 1 talks about the stages of the listening process to allow understanding of the
physiological and psychological layers of listening skills. Being aware of this process prepares
the learners for different listening tasks found in the succeeding packets.

Objective
After completing this learning packet, the students must be able to distinguish the different
stages of the listening process.

Learning Management System

The synchronous class sessions shall be conducted via Google Meet or any free online
platform as agreed upon by the professor and the students, while the asynchronous sessions
shall be administered via Google Classroom or any free learning management system (LMS)
collaboratively identified and decided as well by the professor and the students.

Duration
Learning Packet 1 may be completed in three (3) hours.

Delivery Mode
One (1) hour is allotted for the synchronous online class and the remaining two (2) hours will
be spent on independent learning tasks.

Assessment with Rubrics

Two types of assessment may be present in a learning packet: an objective test that provides
a limited set of options for the student’s response or a projective test that requires the student
to generate free responses.

For objective tests, one item is equivalent to one point unless indicated in the activity. For
projective tests, the rubrics below will be the basis of the student’s score:

Criteria 10-8 points 7-5 points 4-1 points 0 point

Content The response The response The response No response
shows veracity shows some lacks details that
and accuracy of significant details demonstrate the
details that that demonstrate learning
demonstrate the learning outcome.
the learning outcome.
outcome.
Presentation The entire Some parts of The response’s No response
response is the response main points are
organized to build up and imperceptible.
build up and highlight its main
highlight its points.
main points.
Language The response The response The response No response
demonstrates demonstrates demonstrates the
the conventions some features of
in the use of conventions in informal
syntactic formal writing/speaking.
structure and writing/speaking.

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vocabulary.

Requirement with Rubrics

Course Packet 01

A learning packet may contain additional requirements that usually require the student to
generate free responses. The rubrics above shall be used in grading the student’s output
unless a different set is provided.

Readings
While working on a learning packet, additional reading/reference materials may be provided
by the professor when necessary.

Introduction

Listening is as important as speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and representing. If a

speaker has no intended listener, the communication process is incomplete. In other words,
listening realizes the main purpose of speaking. Moreover, listening is a receptive skill that
allows individuals to gather information and, eventually, build a repertoire of knowledge
necessary in formulating new ideas that can be shared either orally or visually to other
people. Overall, listening is part of the whole communication cycle not only at the part
where messages are interpreted but also from the very point where messages are created.

However, in spite of the apparent importance of listening, a lot of people take it for granted
because there are misconceptions about what listening really is. Many believe that listening

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skill is too simple that it is negligible, while others think that it is too layered that there is no
way to go about it. Communication experts agree that listening can be better understood by
unraveling its complexities. First, listening is not a natural process. Like speaking, it
requires preparation and practice. As speakers need to prepare to clearly deliver a
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message, listeners need to train how to accurately draw meaning from what they hear.
Second, listening is not the same as mere hearing. On the one hand, hearing requires
healthy ears that involuntarily receive sounds. On the other hand, listening requires more
than just receiving sounds; it demands focus, mental processing, storing of information and,
in most cases, reacting to stimuli. Even when the ears are equipped with mechanisms for
hearing, it does not entail an understanding of the message. Lastly, listening requires effort.
Notice how some of us complain about getting tired of listening. While the expression
sounds metaphorical, there is a practical explanation about it. We actually use energy while
we sit down and listen. Filtering unnecessary sounds, thinking about the meaning of the
word we hear, remembering information that we find useful, and preparing to respond to
the message we receive are just some of the steps we take when we do our job as
listeners. Thus, when we listen, we go through the various stages of the entire process of
listening.

Listening is fundamental to effective communication, so we should never set it aside.

Likewise, listening is not a simple task, but instead of being overwhelmed, we should
challenge ourselves to develop listening strategies. To do it, we need to begin by exploring
the stages we put ourselves in when we listen. The activity that follows assesses your
awareness of these stages.

Pre-Assessment. Arrange the following events based on how you predict them to happen.
Use numbers to put them in order.

Situation 1. The fire alarm sounds at 2:00 in the afternoon while you are working
alone in one of the rooms of a building.

__________ I will check the surroundings if it is safe for me to go out.

__________ I will stay in the room, pause, and observe if the alarm continues.
__________ I will be surprised by the unexpected alarm.
__________ I will stay where I am and confirm if it is a fire warning by calling the building
security over the phone.

Situation 2. An online class with 35 students including you is about to start.

__________ I will use my background knowledge that relates to my professor’s explanation

of the topic.
__________ I will wait for the professor to turn on her microphone.
__________ I will stop whatever I am doing when the professor starts speaking.
__________ I will take note of the important details that my professor will mention.

Situation 3. In a large workshop room with 40 people, the leader of your creative team
is announcing the task assigned to every member.

__________ I will perform the tasks assigned to me one by one.

__________ I will ask questions about the task assigned to me if it is not clear.
__________ I will wait for my name to be called.
__________ I will remember the tasks assigned to me.
__________ I will politely stand up before the team leader announces my tasks.

Lesson Proper

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Review. The pre-assessment activity has helped us realize that listening involves different
events that happen one at a time. For us to listen effectively, we have to properly sort
out the things that we need to do just like what we did in the activity.
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For example, Situation 1 suggests that the fire alarm calls our attention and allows us to
respond properly to an untoward incident. As nobody anticipates fire in the building, the
first event that will likely occur is that you will be surprised by the sound of the alarm.
The next thing that will possibly happen is that you will pause and pay attention to the
sound a bit longer. If the alarm continues, you need to confirm if the alarm really
means fire in the building and not just a technical glitch in the alarm system. Finally,
after assessing the whole scenario, you will need to safely exit the building by checking
if there are no hazards going out.

However, some listening situations require us to cognitively work on our memory rather
than respond physically. Situation 2 presents a scenario that highlights a kind of
listening activity that will likely occur in the academic setting. Before an online class
starts, you will need to set up your computer and be alert when your professor turns
on her microphone, usually signaled by the scratching sound. For you to participate in
the class once the professor starts talking, you need to stop whatever you are doing
because, in online classes, concentration is a key to learning. You should then recall
your previous lectures to make sense of the current discussion. Ultimately, once
you begin to understand the lesson, you will be able to remember all the useful
information drawn from the discussion.

Apparently, some listening situations call for both cognitive and physiological reactions.
Situation 3 shows us that although a crowded place like a workshop room with 40
people is sure to create unnecessary noise and distractions, effective listening can still
happen using good strategies. So, when the team leader starts announcing the tasks,
you need full attention to hear your name called. Once your name is announced, you
can respectfully gesture your intention to lessen the noise and listen to your tasks by
standing up. You can also ask questions to clarify the tasks assigned to you after
they are given just to make sure that you correctly understand the things that you need
to do. Try to remember all the tasks given to you by writing a note. This will help you
make sure that you will be able to perform as required and not miss any task.

Overall, every event in all the situations corresponds to a stage in the listening process.
Let us take a look at how these events relate to the stages of listening through the
activity below.

 Activity. Using the situations in the pre-assessment activity, fill out the columns with a
corresponding event.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5

Receive Pay attention Understand Remember Respond to
Situatio the sound to the the message the message the message
n message
1 I will confirm if
it is a fire
warning.

2 I will stop I will take note

whatever I am of the
doing when the important
professor details that my
starts speaking. professor will

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mention.
3 I will wait I will perform
for my name the tasks
to be called. assigned to me
one-by-one.
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 Processing of the Activity

Which stages of the listening process should come in the same order all the time? Why?
__________________________________________________________________________
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What stages of the listening process can be interchanged? Why?

__________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________

 Brief Lesson. You may have observed that the first three stages of the listening process are
fixed. They should come in the same order all the time. The last two stages, however, can
be skipped. While it is common for the last two stages to occur, remembering can be
omitted if a situation only requires immediate response. Likewise, responding may not be
necessary if the situation only demands you to remember some information.

To illustrate the stages of the listening process, the image below is provided.

2 3
Understanding
Attending
Responding
Remembering

1 Receiving
5 4

Figure 1. The Listening Process

Refer to the numbers in the image above and read the description of every
stage of listening.

1. Receiving is a physiological process where the sound waves enter the

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hearing mechanism. The ears are usually sensitive to very loud sounds
such as screams, explosion, and alarm that can cause feelings of shock or
surprise.
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2. Attending is the conscious process of filtering other sounds and paying

attention to a specific sound. It can be done by mentally concentrating,
asking the people around to be silent, or turning down the volume of the
music in the background.

3. Understanding refers to the process of making meaning; the listener either

gets meaning from or gives meaning to the message. To ensure accurate
understanding, the listener can also ask questions for clarification.

4. Remembering is the storing in memory the information gathered from

listening and retrieving it when needed. It is an indication that listening is
effective.

5. Responding is the reaction to the message listened to. An accurate

response also indicates effective listening. It can be an action to execute a
command or an answer to a question.
 Enhancement Activity. Determine the stage of listening described by each of the
following situations. There should be no duplication of the answer.

____________________ 1. Imagining how flu virus infects the human respiratory

system as you listen to the lecturer explain it.
____________________ 2. Answering a job interview question from a member of
the panel.
____________________ 3. Waking up suddenly at 3:30 in the morning to the
ringing sound of your mobile phone.
____________________ 4. Keeping the doors and windows closed while watching
movies in your bedroom.
____________________ 5. Memorizing cooking steps from Youtube before
preparing the food in your kitchen.

 Generalization. Brainstorm with a partner. Reflect on the importance of each

stage to effective listening.

Stage 1. Receiving
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____________________________

Stage 2. Attending

___________________________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________________________
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____________________________

Stage 3. Understanding

___________________________________________________________________

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_______________________________________________________________
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Stage 4. Remembering

___________________________________________________________________
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Stage 5. Responding

__________________________________________________________________________
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_____________________

 Application. Suggest a 5-step listening strategy for the following situations. Take note of
the five stages of listening while formulating the strategies.

1. Listening to a typhoon warning from the weather bureau.

Step 1.

____________________________________________________________________

Step 2.

____________________________________________________________________

Step 3.

____________________________________________________________________

Step 4.

____________________________________________________________________

Step 5.

____________________________________________________________________

2. Participating in an online meeting on a group project.

Step 1.

____________________________________________________________________

Step 2.

____________________________________________________________________

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Step 3.

____________________________________________________________________
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Step 4.

____________________________________________________________________

Step 5.

____________________________________________________________________

Course Packet Discussion Forum

This photo appeared on Facebook and other social media platforms and received various
reactions from netizens. Write your comment about the quotation.

image source: https://emilysquotes.com/the-biggest-communication-problem-is-we-do-not-listen-to-understand/

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Reference. Wood, J.T. (2003). Communication in our lives.

Wadsworth

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