Listening Skills

Tutored by : Prof. Sunil D’ Anto

Topical Outline
Introduction
Listening Types
Listening ROI
Listening Process
Listening Styles Profile
Buddhist Model of Listening
Barriers to Effective Listening
Effective Listening Techniques

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Introduction
• Communication is a two-way process. Therefore,
listening is just as important (if not more) as the
discourse

• Ralph G. Nichols – Are You Listening? (1957)

• Nichols : regarded as the Father of Listening
• Importance globally acknowledged and led to the
founding of International Listening Association (1979)
• Purpose of ILA – advance the practice, teaching, and
research of listening throughout the world
• Listening is a “Skill”
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Listening Types …..t.b.c
• Discriminative: learn to discern difference in sounds

• Biased: you hear what you want to hear

• Evaluative: listen and make judgments about message

• Appreciative: listen to things one appreciates

• Sympathetic: when we sincerely care about someone

• Empathic: not only caring, but showing compassion

• Therapeutic: take remedial actions to bring about change

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• Relationship: to build rapport with the other person

Listening Types (contd.)
• False: pretending to listen but does not hear anything that is being
said

• Initial: when we listen to the person in the beginning but then stop
midway

• Selective: listen only to things that you want to hear and block out
what does not interest you

• Partial: subtype of selective listening. The person makes an effort to listen

but gets distracted midway

• Full: concentrate completely on what is being said

• Deep: go beyond what is being said and fathom the “unsaid”

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Listening ROI
 To participate in conversation

 To gain information

 To get feedback

 To create rapport and relationships

 To learn

 To make decision
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 To avoid embarrassment
Listening Process

 Hearing

 Focusing on the message

 Comprehending and interpreting

 Analyzing and evaluating

 Responding

 Remembering

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Listening Styles Profile
• Listening style is defined as an individual’s
predominant and preferred approach to listening

• Watson et al. (1995) identified 4 learning styles:

• People oriented
• Action oriented
• Content oriented
• Time oriented

• Research shows people-centered listeners are less

apprehensive in groups, meetings, and interpersonal
situations than other types of listeners 9
Buddhist Model of Listening
Compares listeners to 4 different types of clay pots:

• 1st pot – holes at the bottom. Communicating

to such people is pointless

• 2nd pot – cracks in it. Such people tend to

forget what was said to them

• 3rd pot – completely full. Such people do not

listen to others

• 4th pot – empty and intact. Listen well 10and

learn well
Barriers to Effective Listening
5 types of listening barriers:

• Physiological barriers – physical ability to ‘hear,’ speed of

thought, etc.

• Environmental barriers – physical distractions, channel

obstruction and clutter (message overload)

• Attitudinal barriers – preoccupied mind, ego, attitude,

prejudices, etc.

• Sociocultural barriers – language, accent, culture’s

predisposition to time, etc.
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• Semantic barriers – same word, different meaning
Effective Listening Techniques
 Eliminate distractions

 Concentrate

 Focus on the speaker

 Maintain an open mind

 Look for nonverbal cues

 Do not react to emotive words

 Ask questions

 Sit so you can see and hear

 Avoid prejudices
Effective Listening Techniques (contd.)
 Visualize the message

 Relate message to personal experience

 Listen between the lines

 Take notes

 Paraphrase

 Provide nonverbal feedback

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 I am ………

Listening!
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