Business Communication Effective Listening

Objectives Effective vs ineffective listening Types of listening How to become an effective listener

Introduction According to studies, within 24 hours, people are able to recall only about one-fourth of what they heard

Introduction WRONG!!! Listening is easy Listening comes naturally Hearing and listening are the same

Ineffective Listening Habits

Ineffective Listening Habits Deciding in advance that the subject is uninteresting Poor listeners learn what the talk is about and decide immediately that the subject is of no interest to them. Instead of listening they think of something else, write meaningless things on their notepad etc.

Ineffective Listening Habits Focusing on the poor delivery of the speaker Poor listeners focus on the appereance or delivery of the speaker. Inappropriately dressed speakers, as well as the ones that punctuates their speech with “uh” or “er” distracts ineffective listener

Ineffective Listening Habits Becoming overexcited and anxious to make your own point Poor listeners want to run ahead of the conversation. Especially if it is a subject that they have some knowledge, their minds race ahead to plan their own sentences.

Ineffective Listening Habits Focusing only on facts Poor listeners listens only for the facts, but later when they try to remember them, they often missed the less concrete but more important concepts and ideas behind the facts.

Ineffective Listening Habits A tendency to outline everything Poor listeners tend to outline lectures or speeches. However if these talks are not well organized by the speaker, when later reviewed, these notes provide little insight to what was said

Ineffective Listening Habits Pretending to pay attention Poor listeners are often tired, lazy or bored. They pretend to listen in an attentive posture and then mentally drift away.

Ineffective Listening Habits Allowing distractions to interfere Distractions can be a noise that interferes with one’s ability to hear, or a visual done that attract’s one’s attention away from the listener. Poor listeners take a very passive role and allows distractions to interfere with the listening process

Ineffective Listening Habits Avoiding difficult material Poor listeners do not try to listen to material that seems difficult for them

Ineffective Listening Habits Responding emotionally to certain words or phrases There are certain terms, phrases and words that affect people in an emotional way which makes some individuals block out the rest of the conversation

Ineffective Listening Habits Daydreaming because of difference between speech speed and thought speed People speak about 150 words per minute. Listeners are capable of processing 500-700 words per minute. Poor listener often becomes involved in a daydrean and forgets to tune back in

Effective Listening Habits

Effective Listening Habits Accepting the challenge to get something of worth out of every situation Good listeners may find the subject boring, but they accept the challenge and make the most of the situation by focusing on the speaker’s message, and try to derive something from the encounter

Effective Listening Habits Focus on what is being said rather than how it is being said Effective listeners simply ignore a speaker’s poor delivery or annoying mannerisms and focus on what is being said

Effective Listening Habits Waiting for the entire presentation before beginning evaluation Effective listeners do not jump to conclusions about what is being said, instead wait for the presentation to conclude before beginning their overall evaluation

Effective Listening Habits Focusing exclusively on the main ideas Good listeners look for the main ideas. Once the overall ideas of the talk are understood, the facts can be remembered as logical components

Effective Listening Habits Limiting their notetaking Good listeners sit back and listen before picking up a pencil.

Effective Listening Habits Listening actively Listening requires energy and attention. The good listener not only hears effectively but also observes the nonverbal signs of the speaker

Effective Listening Habits Avoiding distractions or at least controlling them Effective listeners try to control their environment by screening out distractions.

Effective Listening Habits Listening to challenging material The good listener occasionally seeks out the difficult subjects to challenge his/her listening skills

Effective Listening Habits Filtering out emotion-laden words to challenging material Effective listeners examine those words and phrases that have an emotional effect on them, and being aware of this problem helps them to overcome the listening barrier

Effective Listening Habits Spending extra time on thoughts related to the material being heard Effective listeners spend their extra thoughts on materials related to the talk to fill in the extra time between speech speed and thought speed.

Types of Listening Appreciative Discriminative Comprehensive Critical Active

Types of Listening Appreciative: An individualized form of listening that obtain enjoyment through the words or experiences of others; like listening to one’s favourite music or watching tv...

Types of Listening Discriminative: Happens when people try to distinguish one sound from everything else; like stopping work to hear if the phone is ringing

Types of Listening Comprehensive: Happens when people listen for understanding. Involves trying hard to remember what the person is saying and to interpret the meaning as precisely as possible.

Types of Listening Critical: Help the listener sift through what he/she has heard and make a decission

Types of Listening Active: Also called empathic listening, involves more than just paying attention or listening carefully. It also entails empathic and supportive behaviours that tell the speaker “I understand. Please go on”

Listening Response Modes Directing / Judgemental Advising / Solving Interpreting Supportive Questioning Empathic / active

Responding Skills Directing / Judgemental – say what is right or wrong, good or bad, passes judgment Ex. “That was stupid!” “That’s right!” Advising/solving – shares advice/offers a solution Ex. “If I were you I would…” “Why don’t you…” 34

Responding Skills Interpreting Analyze, explain or teach the sender about the cause Ex. “She probably did this because…” Supportive Reassure, pacify or comfort Ex. “If there is any way I can help…” 35

Responding Skills Questioning Probes, clarifies, inquires or seeks more info Ex. “What makes you think that?” “Where were you?” Open questions – require more than a yes or no answer Closed questions – can be answered with yes or no 36

80% of your feedback will use 1 of 5 styles Directing / Judgemental Using Response Styles 80% of your feedback will use 1 of 5 styles Directing / Judgemental Doesn’t help unless sender asks for advice Interpreting Works best when your intention is to offer insight into the problem’s causes 37

Using Response Styles Supporting Works best when the sender has determined the problem and needs encouragement Questioning When your need for additional info is genuine Paraphrasing This reveals a desire to understand the sender’s thoughts and feelings 38

Becoming an active listener Listen for total meaning Respond to feelings Note all cues Take time to listen Be attentive

Becoming an active listener Employ only three kinds of verbal reactions:encouraging sounds such as uh-huh; restating what has been said; and silence with a nod of head Avoid probing for additional facts Always give positive feedback