“To listen well, is as powerful a

means of influence as to talk

well, and is as essential to all
true conversation”
Chinese Proverb
 Barriers to Listening
Introduction

    *    Average person spends 70% of waking hours

communicating, 45% of that listening.
    *    In a ten minute presentation there is 50% retention,
in two days only 25%.
    *    To improve listening comprehension, must
overcome barriers: content, speaker, distractions, mind
set, language, listening speed and feedback.
 Content
• A. Listeners knowing too much
        *    Feel that their knowledge is so extensive that there is little
left to learn.
   
• B. Listeners knowing too little
        *    Tune out to difficult intellectual or emotional content.
        *    Only listen to information within their beliefs.
• C. Remedy
        *    Don’t sit back passively and allow sound to enter ears.
        *    Develop a positive attitude to message.
        *    Anticipate importance of the message content.
        *    Seek areas of interest in the message.
        *    Remind self that something of value can be learned.
 Speaker
• A. Delivery
        *    Speaker’s enunciation, organization, clarity,
speed, volume, tone, inflections, emotions, and
appearance affect interpretation of message.
• B. Attitudes toward speaker
        *    Listeners are influenced more by their attitude
towards the speaker than the information presented.
        *    If listener likes the speaker, they are more likely to
empathize and therefore comprehend the message.
• C. Remedy
        *    Concentrate on the “what” of the message, not
the “who” or “how”
 Medium
A. Distance and circumstances

        *    Least effort is needed when the speaker is not visible.
        *    More effort is needed when the speaker is visible, but not
present.
        *    Most effort is needed in face-to-face interactions.

B. Reasons
        *    Occurs because the amount and variety of both verbal and
non-verbal stimuli increases.
        *    These stimuli can either help or hinder communication.

C.  Remedy
        *    Realize the potential for better understanding, and
increase listening effort.
 Distractions
•     A. Extraneous stimuli
        *    Sounds, lights, odors, mannerisms, voice inflections
and moving objects can easily distract listeners.
        *    Psychological studies indicate a listener’s attention
span is sometimes no more than two or three seconds.
        *    Can be categorized as environmental or physical,
but most often psychological.
   
• B. Remedy
        *    Identify and eradicate distractions.
        *    If distractions can’t be eliminated, increase
concentration.
        *    Free self from preconceptions, prejudices and
negative emotions.  Open your mind.
 Mind Set
•     A. Attitudes
        *    Structured by listener’s unique physical, mental
and emotional characteristics.
        *    An individual’s mindset can either magnify or
diminish stimuli, distorting the message.

• B. Remedy
        *    Strive to not let personal biases interfere with
comprehension.
        *    Respect other’s freedom of values and beliefs.
        *    Accept that attempting to understand another’s
viewpoint is not necessarily agreeing with it.
        *    Realize that there may be more than one
acceptable point of view.
 Language
•     A. Ambiguity
        *    Listeners rarely hear every word spoken and may attach different
meanings to words than the speaker.

• B. Misinterpretation
        *    Can occur when words are imprecise, emotional, technical or overly
intellectual.
        *    Greatest cause is that listeners interpret words based on personal
definitions established by background, education and experience.

• C. Remedy
        *    Realize different words may have different meanings to different
people.
        *    Evaluate the context in which the word is used.
        *    See that the meaning is in the mind, not the word.
 Listening Speed
•     A. Rate
        *    Average speaking rate is 125-150 words a minute.
        *    Average listening rate is 500 words a minute, leaving a lot of
excess thinking time.

• B. Think time
        *    Poor listeners use the excess time to daydream, often
missing part of the message.

• C. Remedy
        *    Use excess time to outline message, identify the purpose
and how it is supported, evaluate the soundness of logic, verify and
integrate with
existing knowledge, maintain eye contact to observe and interpret
nonverbal signals, formulate questions to enhance and verify
understanding and provide feedback.
 Feedback
•  A. Inappropriate
        *    Premature comments or evaluations before full
understanding of the speaker’s viewpoint.
        *    Comments which are colored with emotions of
resentment, defensiveness, or suspicion.
        *    Can hinder speaker by confusing or diverting onto
tangents.

• B. Remedy
        *    Supportive feedback can be demonstrated interest,
appropriate eye contact, smiling and animation, nodding, leaning
toward, verbal reinforcements such as “I see” or “yes”, and
phrasing interpretations of the comments for verification.
        *    These must be timed to assist rather than hinder the
speaker.
 Summary
• A. Barriers
        *    Good listening habits are difficult to attain.
        *    Careless habits have been attained from
constant social and recreational listening.

• B. Remedy
        *    Awareness of the barriers is the first step.
        *    Knowing how to combat these barriers can
lead to effective listening skills.