1. Listening And Nonverbal Communication
O U T L I N E
Objectives 8
C H A P T E R
Understanding Listening Behavior
Improving Listening Skills
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal Behavior
Listening And Nonverbal Communication
Copyright © 2001 South-Western College Publishing Co.

2. Learning Objectives
1. Identify the importance of well-developed listening skills for success in business.
2. List six indicators of poor listening.
3. Improve listening skills by using a seven-step process.
4. Describe the four major purposes of nonverbal communication.
5. Identify seven guiding principles of nonverbal communication.
6. Describe the components of nonverbal communication.

3. UNDERSTANDING LISTENING BEHAVIOR
Identify the importance of well-developed listening skills for success in business
UNDERSTANDING LISTENING BEHAVIOR
Understanding Listening Behavior
The Importance of Listening in Business Settings
Improving Listening Skills
Studies conducted between 1970 and 1990 reveal that listening is:4
most significant for entry-level positions
most important for promotion to upper management
most observed in successful CEOs and upper managers
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

4. Understanding Listening Behavior
Identify the importance of well-developed listening skills for success in business
Understanding Listening Behavior
most significant for entry-level positions
most important for promotion to upper management
most observed in successful CEOs and upper managers
most critical in distinguishing effective from ineffective subordinates
most critical for managerial competency
most needed for improvement in communication
most important for career competence
most important for organizational success
Improving Listening Skills
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

5. What Is Your Listening Self-Concept?
Understand your listening self-concept.
List six indicators of poor listening.
What Is Your Listening Self-Concept?
Understanding Listening Behavior
How we think about ourselves as listeners becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Barriers to Effective Listening
Improving Listening Skills
Indicators of Poor Listening
Receiving an above normal amount of written communication.
Feeling left out of important projects.
Missing Important meetings.
Reacting to problems rather than preventing problems.
Being perceived as slow or inept.
Being manipulated easily by others.
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

6. The Silent Enemy of Effective Listening
List six indicators of poor listening.
The Silent Enemy of Effective Listening
Understanding Listening Behavior
Most people would rather speak than listen.
One must possess the desire to listen
Improving Listening Skills
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

7. IMPROVING LISTENING SKILLS
Improve listening skills by using a seven-step process.
IMPROVING LISTENING SKILLS
Understanding Listening Behavior
Understanding and Committing to the
Listening Process
Improving Listening Skills
You listen at different levels:
Signal processing: processing and organizing the words of a message
Literal processing: decoding the most basic meaning of a message
Reflective processing: listening for deeper meanings
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

8. Strategic Listening Process
Figure 8.2
Strategic Listening Process
Receiving
Skills 1
Understanding and
Committing
to the Listening
Process 2
Listening
between
the Words 6
Adopting
Mental
Guidelines
for Listening 3
Improving
Memory 5
Using Excessive
Thinking Time
Productively 4
Providing
Supportive
Feedback

9. Auditory Input Figure 8.3 Model of Listening SP Signal Processing LP
Literal
Processing RP
Reflective
Processing
Segments
Structures
Meaning
Simple Implication
Critical Analysis
Appreciation
Auditory
Input

10. Listening Between the Words
Improve listening skills by using a seven-step process.
Listening Between the Words
Understanding Listening Behavior
You must listen for deeper meanings.
Listen for the paralanguage elements of speech.
How something is said rather than what is said.
Aspects of verbal communication unrelated to the words used.
Paralanguage types:
Voice set: the personal characteristics of the speaker
Improving Listening Skills
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

11. Understanding Listening Behavior
Improve listening skills by using a seven-step process.
Vocal qualities: characteristics of speech such as pitch, tempo, volume, rhythm, and articulation
Vocal characteristics: vocal sounds such as laughing, crying, snickering, whimpering, moaning, or yawning.
These characteristics can express a state of mind, mood, and even emotional state of individuals
Vocal segregates: vocal sounds that can substitute for words, as in “mm-hush,” “huh-uh,” “sshh,” and “uummm.”
Vocal fillers: vocalizations in which the speaker inadvertently uses “um,” “ah,” or “uh.”
Can result from stress or emotional strain
Understanding Listening Behavior
Improving Listening Skills
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

12. Paralanguage and the Implications for Business Settings
Improve listening skills by using a seven-step process.
Paralanguage and the Implications for Business Settings
Vocal cues can be . . .
inadvertently communicate thoughts and feelings
useful in accomplishing business goals
used to communicate feelings toward others
confused with culture and diversity issues
Understanding Listening Behavior
Improving Listening Skills
Improving Memory
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior
Improving memory increases listening comprehension
Ineffective listeners may hear, attend to, comprehend and then fail to remember oral communication

13. Providing Supportive Feedback
Improve listening skills by using a seven-step process.
Providing Supportive Feedback
Understanding Listening Behavior
Good listeners . . .
demonstrate an interest in what the speaker says
maintain appropriate eye contact
smile and show animation
nod occasionally in agreement
lean toward the speaker to demonstrate interest
use verbal cues such as “I see” and “yes.”
phrase interpretations to verify understanding
consciously time their verbal and nonverbal feedback to assist the speaker
Improving Listening Skills
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

14. Using Excess Thinking Time Productively
Improve listening skills by using a seven-step process.
Using Excess Thinking Time Productively
Understanding Listening Behavior
Good listeners use excess thinking time to concentrate on the message
Adapting Mental Guidelines for Effective Listening
Improving Listening Skills
Believe that effective listening is crucial
Learn to tolerate and even enjoy silence
Relate new information to old information
Adjust to problems of poor listeners
Organize your listening
Ask questions in your mind
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

15. Understanding and Improving Nonverbal Behavior
Describe the four major purposes of nonverbal communication.
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal Behavior
Understanding Listening Behavior
Major Purposes of Nonverbal Communication
Improving Listening Skills
Nonverbal behavior serves four purposes:
to express emotions
to convey interpersonal attitudes
to present one’s personality to others
to accompany verbal communication - to reinforce what was said
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

16. Principles of Nonverbal Communication
Identify the seven guiding principles of nonverbal communication.
Principles of Nonverbal Communication
Understanding Listening Behavior
Nonverbal Communication Occurs in a Context: folded arms and laid-back posture
Nonverbal Behaviors Are Usually Packaged: a clustering of posture, eye contact, leg movement, facial expression
Nonverbal Behavior Always Communicates: even when not speaking
Nonverbal Behavior Is Governed by Rules: smiling conveys happiness
Nonverbal Behavior is Highly Believable: eyes darting away
Improving Listening Skills
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

17. Components of Nonverbal Communication
Describe the components of nonverbal communication.
Nonverbal Behavior is Metacommunicational: communication about communication
Nonverbal Behavior Helps Clarify Verbal Communication: with nonverbal communication the signal is neither as clear nor as precise
Understanding Listening Behavior
Improving Listening Skills
Components of Nonverbal Communication
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior
Facial expression: one of the most expressive and reliable channels
Allow you to determine the real motivations and intentions of others

18. Time and Space: culturally determined
Describe the components of nonverbal communication.
Eye and Visual Behavior: the movement and focus of the eyes reveal a great deal of information
Cultural differences
Persuasion
Avoidance of Communication
Gesture and Body Movement: problems occur whenever a person’s gestures conflict with the verbal message
Posture
Time and Space: culturally determined
personal space, environmental space
Understanding Listening Behavior
Improving Listening Skills
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

19. Dress: general appearance signals others
Describe the components of nonverbal communication.
Dress: general appearance signals others
Physical characteristics: body type, height, weight, hair, and skin color or tone
Studies have shown that people readily attribute greater intelligence, wit, charm and sociability to those people whom they judge to be very attractive
Additional sense related issues:
Artifacts: human made objects
Haptic: all human touch
Olfactics: sense of smell
Gustics: ability to taste
Acoustics: sound
Silence: the absence of sound to communicate
Understanding Listening Behavior
Improving Listening Skills
Understanding and Improving Nonverbal
Behavior

20. The End
Copyright © 2000 South-Western College Publishing Co.