Being and Effective Listener How We Listen Being and Effective Listener

Listening It is part of our everyday lives It is the way we gain information Involves using both your verbal and nonverbal skills. Involves actively comprehending what another person is saying and conveying this understanding to the person.

Why Listen? Listening is part of relationship building as you convey your interest in and understanding of what the person is saying. It is a component of collaboration as you gain information that is accurate and beneficial. Avoids acting on inaccurate information which may affect the relationship with the person you are communicating with. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Listening as a Process Hearing – The physical act of hearing (it is an involuntary process). Attending – part of the selection process; paying attention to the messages that you find meaningful. Understanding – making sense of what you are hearing. Responding – providing nonverbal and verbal feedback. Remembering – being able to recall what was said. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

Factors that Affect Effective Listening Making faulty assumptions – Not having an open mind and thinking that you have all ready heard it. Not providing enough time – We are stretched thin with our time, and it is very easy to hastily tell someone that you will take care it. Daydreaming – We can think at a higher rate than we can listen. This free time can be taken up by thoughts that does not having anything to do with the conversation. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Factors that Affect Effective Listening Thinking about what to say while the other person is talking – If you assume you know what is being said and what is going to be said then you will be focused on how you will respond rather than what the person is saying. Filtering – We tend to filter (tune out) those discussions/conversations that we do not find interesting. Noise distractions – Uncomfortable room temperatures or off-topic conversation make impact our listening. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

Improving our Listening Skills Create listening goals Helps you think through why you are listening and what you are listening for. Eliminate the distractions Removing internal distractions such as hunger or thirst. Removing external distractions such as your smartphone. Talk less and listen more Seek first to understand and then to be understood. Show support and empathy for the person talking to you.

Improving our Listening Skills Avoid making judgements Listen for understanding; keep biases to your self. Avoid interrupting the talker Wait until the person is relatively finished to speak. Focus on the main points of the message Mentally summarize what is being said, identifying the main themes. Distinguish facts from inferences. Focus on the context of the message Listen to how something was said as it is as important as what was said Pay attention to the nonverbal communication such as silence and gestures.

Listening – Problem Solving and Negotiating Listening to Understand Helps ensure that the problem-solving process is effective. Forging Strong Partnerships and avoiding misunderstandings Builds trust and camaraderie Gain accurate information and develop an accurate understanding Negotiating Advances conflict resolution Listening to cooperate can influence those who resist change to accept Listening actively to understand the other person’s point of view and letting them know you understand

Conclusion Listening is a process that we use everyday to gain information; it involves the use of our verbal and nonverbal skills. There are many factors that affect our listening. There are many small things we can do to improve our listening skills. Active listening helps ensure the effectiveness of the problem- solving process. Effective listeners seek first to understand then to be understood. Active listeners resolve conflict in an effective manner.