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Speaking
Listening

Benefits of listening effectively:

1.
To get the information we need to complete the
task
2.
To assess competence and trustworthiness
3.
To show competence and trust
4.
To show respect and to build rapport
5.
To monitor the speakers style in order to achieve
better communication
6.
To understand how to influence others
7.
To empathise
8.
To understand the mindset of the other people
9.
To hear if our ideas are understood and valued
10. To give pleasure

The ROI (Return on Investment) on listening

effectively in the workplace:
Better relationships with more trust
More motivated staff
Higher productivity
Increased creativity
Improved quality
More efficient information flow
Fewer mistakes and lower costs
Happier customers

1.
2.
3.

People-focused listeners
Information-oriented listeners
Results-oriented listeners

1. People-focused listeners

This kind of listener focuses on supporting

the speaker by being attentive to feelings and
needs. He or she has a lot of patience and
asks questions such as What do you think? or
How do you feel about this? This helps
speakers to give their views and to feel that
they are being listened to.

2. Information-oriented listeners
This kind of listener likes to collect and
analyse information in order to understand
the situation as fully as possible. They usually
take the time to listen to all the information
so that the right decision can be taken.

3. Result-oriented listeners
The main interest for these listeners is to
achieve their goals as quickly and efficiently
as possible. They often have little patience for
what they see as irrelevant information, and
can be frustrated by speakers who talk for
too long in an unfocused way. Some speakers
may see result-oriented listeners as arrogant.

Question:
Which type of listener are
you primarily?

Read the Speaker-Listener dialogues below

and think about why listening is not
happening effectively in each case. Think in
terms of the message, the speaker, and the
listener.

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Speaker: So, what do you think about my

recommendation on pricing?
Listener: What? Oh, sorry. Look, Im not sure
Im the right person to ask.
Speaker: But youre in charge of sales, arent
you?
Listener: Yes, but Im really busy now. Can we
discuss this tomorrow?

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Speaker: So, the fifth aspect of this problem is

.
Listener: Sorry to interrupt, but what was the
fourth aspect? I didnt catch that.
Speaker: The fourth aspect was finance.
Remember?
Listener: Oh, that was number four. Sorry. Are
there many more points?

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Speaker: I think we need to look at the terrible

problem that we have in our team.
Listener: I dont think we should use the word
problem here.
Speaker: OK, well lets say issue then. We
need to discuss how we can
Listener: Sorry, but this is a decision for the
team leader, not for us. I suggest we
arrange a meeting with her as soon
as possible.
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Our ability to listen is affected by three main

factors (the message, the speaker, and the
listener), which are illustrated by what is
going wrong in the three dialogues.
1.

The message
In the first dialogue, the listener feels that
this is not a relevant message. In the second
dialogue, the listener is confused by the
complexity of the explanation.
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2. The speaker
This is a factor in the third dialogue, in
which the listener wants to involve the
team leader rather than waste time
discussing a subject with a speaker who is
not seen as having responsibility for the
issue. Some listeners may also pay less
attention if the speaker lacks status.

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3. The listener
The greatest threat to effective listening is
actually the listener. Listeners distort and
reject messages in ways that they may not be
conscious of. This happens particularly when
the listener is under time pressure (as in the
first dialogue). Listeners often undervalue the
importance of what is said. As a result,
listeners may lose the respect of the speaker:

Hey, hes not listening to me. Who does he

think he is?

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The key to becoming a better listener is

ATTITUDE. We need to believe that other
people are really worth listening to, and that
it is important to give others the chance to
express themselves. Thus, both speaker and
listener can learn and benefit each other.

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1. Empty your mind of your own thought when the other

person begins to speak.
Make yourself concentrate fully on what is being said.
Focus on hearing interesting and important information.
Respect what is said and this is an opportunity to learn
something new about the person.
2. Support the start of a conversation by encouraging
others to talk.
Do this by asking questions, as this creates golden
opportunities for listening.
3. Give others time to say what they want to say.
Try to become comfortable with the silence that others
may need in order to formulate their ideas.

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4. Respond to what is said.

When we listen, we need to make two basic types
of response. We need to show that we
understand what has been said (I understand);
and that we value what has been said (I think this
is important because.). Otherwise, speakers
may become confused or unwilling to go on
talking to us.

5. Give positive feedback, both verbal and non verbal,

in ways that the speaker will interpret as positive.
6. Clarify what is said.
Never assume that you have understood
something correctly. It is particularly important to
clarify when working, especially when you are
confused.

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7.

Develop conversations by asking questions and making relevant

comments.
Good listeners create opportunities for listening. Make sure that you
engage others by asking questions that invite them to talk in depth
about topics that they find interesting.

8.

Give yourself feedback on your own listening performance.

Ask yourself the following questions as you listen. Am I fully
concentrating on the other person? Am I becoming impatient? Am I
asking the right questions and paying enough attention? Etc.

9.

Know when to stop listening and end the conversation.

Summarize as much as necessary to avoid any misunderstanding.
Make sure that the conversation ends positively.

10. Control yourself.

Keep your negative emotions under control. Even if you feel the
speaker is attacking you or not showing you respect. Try to remain
calm. If you feel tired or start to lose interest, move, change position,
stand up and walk around if you can, breathe deeply a few times.

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Answer the following questions:

1. Why should we listen to other people?
2. What kind of listener are you?
3. What stops us from listening effectively?
4. How can you become a better listener?

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