CHAPTER 2

PROFESSIONALISM:
LISTENING AND NON-VERBAL ETIQUETTE

CCM1023
Business Communication
LISTENING

What is listening?
• Listening is receiving language through the ears.
• Listening involves identifying the sounds of speech and
processing them into words and sentences.
• When listening, one is hearing what others are saying, and
trying to understand what it means.
• The act of listening involves complex affective, cognitive and
behavioral processes.
 Hearing vs Listening
• Hearing
- process, function, or power of perceiving sound; specifically: the
special sense by which noises and tones are received as stimuli.

• Listening
- to pay attention to sound; to hear something with thoughtful attention;
and to give consideration.
LISTENING IN WORKPLACE
ACTIVE LISTENING
- Active listening is a way of listening and responding to another person,
improving the mutual understanding between the two.
- It is the method of listening used in counselling and solving conflicts and
disputes.
- Active listening involves listening and reacting, which indicates that you
understood what was said.
- In this, reaction mostly involves non-verbal cues, such as nodding,
making eye contact, and facial expressions.
- Note that these non-verbal cues happen naturally; if you concentrate on
intentionally making non-verbal cues, you are not probably listening well.
- Active listening is basically a two-way communication, and it requires a
lot of attention, empathy and effort.
PASSIVE LISTENING
• Passive listening is basically hearing something without responding to
it.
• When you are listening passively, you’ll sit quietly without giving any
response or reaction.
• For example, listening to music, watching the news, listening to a
lecture, etc. In passive listening, there is a tendency of our mind
moving to other topics from time to time; although you think that you
are listening to something, you are not actually understanding what is
being said.
• Therefore, passive listening is one-way communication.
 HOW TO
IMPROVE
LISTENING
IN
WORKPLAC
E?
6 Strategies to Improve
Listening Skills at Work
• Always look at the speaker and maintain eye
contact. ...
• Use positive body language. ...
• Observe the speaker's body language. ...
• Really listen to what's being said. ...
• Don't interrupt the speaker. ...
• Wait for pauses in the conversation to ask questions
or make comments.
COMMUNICATING NONVERBALLY
• Nonverbal communication is the transmission of
messages or signals through a nonverbal platform such
as eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, posture,
and body language.
• It includes the use of social cues, kinesics, distance
and physical environments/appearance, of voice and of
touch.
• For example, smiling when you meet someone
conveys friendliness, acceptance and openness.
How do we communicate nonverbally?
• Facial expressions.
• Body movement and posture. ...
• Gestures.
• Eye contact.
• Touch.
• Space.
• Voice.