14 Listening with a Purpose “I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” ― Ernest Hemingway, American author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. After completing the chapter, you will be able to: Differentiate between hearing and listening. Identify the criteria for becoming an active listener. Demonstrate how to apply active listening in formal situations.

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Listening Is a Skill Hearing is a physical process – sound waves reach your ears – your ears send signals to your brain Listening is an intellectual process – listening combines hearing with evaluating

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Types of listening – Passive listening is casually listening to the speaker. – Active listening is fully participating as you process what other people say. Listening Is a Skill Shutterstock

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Active listening – listening for specific information identify your purpose and adapt your listening behavior accordingly prepare in advance and decide what information you hope to take away with you ask questions and prepare for – a complex response (one that is hard to understand) – an evasive response (one that avoids giving you a direct answer) Listening Is a Skill

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Actively listening to requests – be sure you understand the what, where, when, why, and how – ask follow-up questions to clarify – make comments that summarize what you are asked to do – take notes for details – summarize and write or think through all of the main points you just heard Listening Is a Skill

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Actively listening to directions – use prior knowledge —experience and information you already possess—to relate your new knowledge you will receive – evaluate and summarize your notes – ask follow-up questions – give feedback Listening Is a Skill

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Listening to persuasive talk – What is in it for the speaker? – Whom does the speaker represent? – What does the speaker want you to do or believe? statements may be literal (speaker means exactly what is said) statements may inferential (you draw a conclusion from what is said) – What are the pros and cons on this issue? Listening Is a Skill

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Identifying types of active listening – Informative—need to learn specific information or instructions – Evaluative listening—need to determine the quality or validity of what is being said – Empathetic listening—attempt to put yourself in the speaker’s place and understand how he or she feels – Reflective listening—consider what the speaker says; all active listening involves reflective listening Listening Is a Skill

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Listening is a Skill 1.What is the difference between hearing and listening? 2.What is the difference between passive listening and active listening?

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Becoming an Active Listener Recognize the speaker’s purpose. Listen for bias, which is a prejudice. Use prior knowledge. Be aware of skepticism, which means you have a degree of doubt. – can be beneficial so you do not take things on faith Evaluate what you hear. Note body language and other nonverbal cues, which can also help understand the meaning of the message. Consider personality of speaker. Evaluate the message.

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Do the speaker’s facts support what you have heard, read, or seen from other sources? Do the speaker’s facts agree with or contradict facts earlier presented by the same speaker? Do the speaker’s conclusions agree with your experience? Do the speaker’s suggestions and recommendations have substance? Does the speaker meet the test of common sense? ( continued ) Tips for Evaluating What You Hear

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Once you begin evaluating what you hear by relating old information to new, your evaluations will take various forms: – You recognize misunderstandings or deceptions. He isn’t really answering the question, is he? He knows a lot about our trading relationship with Asian countries, but hasn’t said one word about Europe. – You recognize discrepancies between old information and new. Did she say 20 percent? I’ve heard estimates much, much higher. I wonder which number is accurate. Wait a minute. Didn’t he just say the opposite of that last week?( continued ) Tips for Evaluating What You Hear

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. – You check your own understanding. Oh, I get it. To speed up the approval process, from now on I could… I guess this means the budget cut will affect us sooner rather than later. – You clarify information. Oh, I thought she said 70 before. She must have said 17. That graph sure helps. Now I see the sales growth she’s talking about. – You recognize similarities between old and new information. Hmm, this agrees with what I read yesterday in the newspaper. The problems he’s reporting about the project are just like those that surfaced on the earlier project. Tips for Evaluating What You Hear

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Becoming an Active Listener 1.What is bias? 2.How can skepticism be useful to the listening process? 3.What can be used in addition to the words to understand the meaning of a message?

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Active Listening in Formal Situations Indicate you are paying attention. – show attention – take notes; only on what is meaningful Tips for taking good notes: – Be selective. Write down only what is important or you may not remember. – Organize your notes as you write, if possible. Let the format of your notes correspond to the speaker’s message. – Use abbreviations and symbols. If the notes are for you only, cut as many corners as you like as long as the notes remain useful.( continued )

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Active Listening in Formal Situations – Avoid noting information that appears in a handout. Highlight or put a check mark in the margin of the hand out to remind yourself of key points. – Write down the main point of a visual aid. If it contains data you need later, write down the source or ask the speaker afterward for a copy of the graphic. – Often speakers summarize the most important points in the closing. This is a good time to be listening carefully with pen ready, if necessary.

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Active Listening in Formal Situations Give feedback – friendly questions, not unfriendly questions – make comments Arrive early Sit in the front

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Active Listening in Formal Situations Do not ask unfriendly questions.

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Fight distractions and barriers – Barriers are internal or external. – Fight external distractions. – Listen actively. – Be open-minded without bias. – Be flexible. – Be sincere. – Stay interested; do not multitask. – Be attentive. Active Listening in Formal Situations

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Active Listening in Formal Situations 1.In face-to-face communication, how can you indicate you are paying attention without saying anything? 2.When taking notes, which points should you write down? 3.What are the two best ways of providing feedback? 4.What are the two ways to classify barriers to listening?

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Hearing is the physical process of sound waves being processed by the brain. You can become an active listener with practice. Formal business situations require extra attention to show you are an active listener.