Developing Effective LISTENING SKILLS
Developing EffectiveLISTENING SKILLS
CONTENTSIntroduction3 Modes of Listening4 Levels of ListeningConversation Prompts & ProbesIssue-Based Listening2
INTRODUCTIONDeveloping Effective Listening SkillsWhy are effective listening skills important? It’s simple:most of what we do or don’t do (the way we act andrespond to others) is based on our understanding of themessages that have been conveyed to us. In practicalterms, misunderstanding can cost us time, money,credibility, and even relationships. Conversely, accuratelyreceived messages create comfort, confidence, andappreciation in the minds of our customers.There are three different modes and four different levelsof Effective Listening Skills. The three modes, ormanners, of listening are Attentive, Responsive, andActive. The four levels of listening are Factual,Perceptive, Emotional, and Mixed. We’ll highlight eacharea to help increase your listening accuracy and reducethe opportunity for misunderstanding.Most people do not listen with the intent tounderstand; they listen with the intent to reply.- Stephen Covey3
3 MODES OF LISTENINGAttentive ListeningATTENTIVE LISTENERS focus on the speaker andwork hard to eliminate distractions (such as ambientnoise or poor delivery skills).ATTENTIVE LISTENERS are patient and let thespeaker finish their thoughts without interruption.This is a difficult, but essential, skill to master inorder to be considered a good listener.LISTENING MODES31. Attentive Listening2. Responsive Listening3. Active Listening4
3 MODES OF LISTENINGResponsive ListeningRESPONSIVE LISTENING demonstrates to the speakerthat you’re listening and understanding what they’resaying while encouraging them to continue talking.Use encouraging responses:NON-VERBAL RESPONSES Smiling Appropriate facial expression Affirmative nod of the head Appropriate eye contact Minimizing distractions (turningoff cell phones, etc.) Taking notes (under-utilized wayto broaden the depth of listening) Leaning slightly towards thespeakerVERBAL RESPONSES “Uh huh” “I see” “Yes” “Really?” Occasionallyparaphrasing whatyou’ve heardAvoid discouraging responses: Nervous gesturesYawningLooking at your watch5
3 MODES OF LISTENINGActive ListeningACTIVE LISTENING is probably the most importantlistening skill. It is active because it combines theskills of listening and responding without invalidatingthe speaker’s comments, giving the speaker yourpersonal opinion or advice, or drawing the ownership ofthe conversation away from the speaker.An ACTIVE LISTENER monitors the communication ofa message for both content and feeling. They payattention to what people say, how they say it, and whythey’re saying it.Watch for both nonverbal and verbal indicators:NONVERBAL INDICATORS Tone of voice, vocalinflection, pacing, breathing/not breathing Body language (hands,posture, movements) Facial expression Emotion behind the wordsVERBAL INDICATORS Use of strong oremotional language(cursing, derogatorycomments)6
3 MODES OF LISTENINGActive ListeningOnce the listener feels they understand the sender’smessage, they paraphrase it back to the speaker to ensureunderstanding prior to responding with their own answer ormessage. The listener’s goal is to first understand themessenger’s thoughts, feelings, and needs and then to sendthem back to the messenger for verification of accuracybefore proceeding. When paraphrasing, be sure to use yourown words rather than simply parroting back what themessenger said. You can begin paraphrase statements with: “It sounds like ” “In other words ” “So ”It is important to acknowledge or play back both the contentand the feelings behind the words. Otherwise, you’ll misscritical information that is important to the sender. There’s noreal order for restating what you’ve heard. Often, it is what ismost noticeable (the content or the feeling behind the words).For example: “As you’ve said, everything is organized and ready(content), and yet you look somewhat overwhelmed by this(feeling).” “So, you’ve recommended that the product be used for thenext surgery (content), however you don’t seem excitedabout this change (feeling).”7
4 LEVELS OF LISTENINGListeners typically pay attention to the area ofcommunication they think is most important.However, failure to distinguish between differentlevels of communication can result in a lost ormisinterpreted message.LISTENING LEVELSMost conversations cover four primary levels ofcommunication: Factual: conveyed through an accounting ofinformation and facts Perceptive: a conveyance of beliefs and thoughts,with or without regard to facts Emotive: feelings and emotions conveyed throughverbal, vocal, or visual channels Mixed: conveyed through sarcasm, cliché, or humor4LEVELS OF LISTENINGFactual, Perceptive, Emotive, Mixed8
4 LEVELS OF LISTENINGIDENTIFYING LEVELS OF LISTENINGIt is important to identify the level ofcommunication in order to accurately assess theissue and respond to the messenger. Inaccurateassessment of the communication level will lead toa misinterpretation of what is being conveyed,resulting in ineffective communication.What are the different needs or issues to payattention to in each of the following? Your kids just dropped a vase that your wifereceived as a gift. You are lost in New York City. Your friend just got promoted to the jobyou expected. You’re being deposed in a court case. A friend’s father has just passed away.9
CONVERSATIONPROMPTS & PROBESClarifying ContentOnce you’ve identified the need or issue being conveyedto you, it is important to dig a little deeper to make sureyou’ve hit the heart of the issue. While it is easiest to aska question, too many questions can begin to feel like aninterrogation. The best way to elicit more info, andthereby clarify and issue, is to prompt the speaker usingprompts and probes: “Tell me more ”“Why do you say that?”“For example?”“How so?”“And?” “Then?”“Such as ”“So?”“Because?”Used in combination with paraphrasing skills, promptsand probes create the best-case scenario – aconversation firmly entrenched in the speaker’s courtwith an abundance of information being conveyed,paraphrased, and clarified.10
ISSUE-BASED LISTENINGAmidst the different types of listening and things towatch for during a conversation, learning to deciphera message is a critical skill set to develop. Considerthe following, pulled from Microsoft’s InterviewQuestions, to illustrate how to identify issues in themidst of extended conversation:“Imagine you are standing in front of a mirror,facing it. Raise your right hand. Look at yourreflection. When you raise your left hand yourreflection raises what appears to be his righthand. But when you tilt your head up, yourreflection does too, and does not appear totilt his/her head down. Why is it that themirror appears to reverse left and right, butnot up and down?”To the untrained ear this sounds complex, if notridiculous. The trained listener, however, has thecapacity to hone in on the issues despite all theextra verbiage.11
ISSUE-BASED LISTENINGBy simply listening for the specifichelper words, such as who, what,when, where, why, how, and otherinterrogator words such as did, could,should, can, etc., the listener gainsinsight into the true issue andquestion behind the issue. In theprevious paragraph, none of thehelper words occur until the lastphrase of the sentence. The word“why” signals the listener that theissue immediately follows. (“Why is itthat the mirror reverses left and right,but not up and down?”) But that isonly part of the skill set.TIPDo more than justlisten for specifichelper words.Synthesize whatwas said andthen add aparaphrasedquestion.By synthesizing and briefly conveyingthe gist of the entire paragraph, andthen adding the paraphrasedquestion to the end, the listenerdemonstrates the capacity tounderstand and define the issue andquestion through reflective playback.12
ISSUE-BASED LISTENINGAn example using the previous question, a briefsynthesis of the entire paragraph, could be reduced to:“When standing in front of a mirror and noticing yourreflection ”The synthesized paragraph is now followed by thequestion, indicated by the word “why.”“When standing in front of a mirror and noticing yourreflection, why is it that the mirror appears to reverse theleft and right, but not the up and down?”Three-Step Process for Issue-Based Listening Synthesize the bulk of what you heard Play back the gist of it Paraphrase the question as indicated by thehelper word or interrogatorBenefits of Issue-Based Listening Allows time to think Demonstrates careful listening Conveys understanding of complexinformation13
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of Effective Listening Skills. The three modes, or manners, of listening are Attentive, Responsive, and Active. The four levels of listening are Factual, Perceptive, Emotional, and Mixed. We’ll highlight each area to help increase your listening accuracy and reduce the opportunity for misunderstanding.
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Listening skills is an important part of communication. This is not just an innate ability. It can be developed through practice and mindfulness. . CRITICAL LISTENING: Listening with the intention of analyzing and giving a feedback. COMPREHENSIVE LISTENING: Listening to simply understand a message,
Acknowledging the importance of teaching listening skills, yet recognizing educational time constraints, this listening tool aligns listening standards with a scope of listening skills sequenced . Chart the types of reading material they've listened to. Intermediate Skills Identify and define new words and concepts. Identify the main .
listening comprehension ability. The key concepts of the listening construct, listening sub-skills and strategies were outlined including the various taxonomies of listening comprehension sub-skills and strategies. The review of literature was followed by collecting data via intro- and retro
listening task unnaturally difficult, the authors included false starts, lapses, and long pauses in their taped lecture presentations. Dunkel and Pialorsi's listening and notetaking programme (1982) emphasized listening for, and taking note of, factual, detailed information as a first step in developing extended listening and notetaking skills.
Adult ESL learners have countless daily opportunities for listening and spea king in English as they interact as workers, family members, community members, and classroom learners. Some listening is non-face-to-face, such as listening to movies and broadcast media, listening on the phone, and listening to loudspeaker announcements.
hearing and listening and to speculate on the difference between active and passive listening. Based on student input, create a definitionof active listening (e.g., attentive listening to avoid misunderstanding). Suggest to students that active listening
OMIClear Instruction A02/2014 Price List Versions Index 11.Apr.2014 Initial version. Revokes OMIClear Notice 03/2010 – Price List. 1.Feb.2015 Modification of the Price List, including: modification of the structure regarding the Fees on transactions in Futures, Forwards and Swaps .which depend on the monthly traded volume (now including 3 tiers of volume instead of 2). Clarification on the .
