Effective Listening Skills Instructor(s) Date E-mail (s) 2 to 7 minutes Allow 2 minutes to introduce the topic and instructor(s). Provide some background on yourself and introduce the topic. And thank them for participating in the session. If the class size is not too large, then allow an additional period for self introductions (name, year in school). This should be no more than 5 minutes. Total 2 to 7 minutes. Room Set-up, Preparation and Materials Ideally, if you have control of the room arrangement, round tables would be the best set-up to allow for a group exercise. But if you are in a classroom set-up that does not allow for any changes you will have to conduct the session as is. Find out the room set-up so you can plan ahead. To conduct the session you will need: Projection screen, projector and extension cords (most classrooms have built in a/v systems) Laptop (with remote if possible) 1 Flip chart, markers and masking tape Handout materials Paper and pens for the participants (optional for the group session) An assistant – this could be one of the student organizers or a volunteer from the audience This person’s role is to record responses on the flip charts and then tape the flip charts to the wall during the session (You want to remain free to facilitate the session December 2015 Draft

Learning Objectives Goal: To learn how to listen effectively in class and in life Develop students listening abilities, Teach basic listening strategies, Address difficulties faced in effective listening, and Expose students to different listening situations through activities. 1 minute State the main goal of the session is to help students further their academic success by becoming better listeners. You can then list the main learning objectives of the session: To develop the global listening abilities of students, To teach them a few basic listening strategies, To remove the flaws the students might be facing in effective listening, and To expose them to a number of different listening situations through activities.

The following saying summarizes the importance of listening: "We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.“ 3 – 5 minutes This slide is meant as an introduction. The quotes are animated on the mouse. Click or advance. Ask the students their thoughts on the quote. Do they agree or disagree? Ask them why? Have a co-presenter or an assistant track the comments on a flip chart.

What communication skill can be more basic than listening? We spend more time listening than any other activity except breathing, yet we listen at only a fraction of our potential. Because we believe ourselves to be good listeners we seldom make an effort to improve.

What is Effective Listening? Effective listening skills are the ability to actively understand information provided by the speaker, and display interest in the topic discussed. It can also include providing the speaker with feedback, by asking pertinent questions so the speaker knows the message is received. Effective Listening is a skill using multiple senses to comprehend the message being sent by the speaker.

Importance of Listening The importance of listening extends far beyond academic and professional settings. Understanding how to practice good communication even in your day to day life, among friends, family, and significant others, is important for a number of reasons: fostering good self-esteem, maximizing productivity, improving relationships, and even becoming a better speaker.

Listening: as a communication skill Listening is one of the most important communication skills We probably spend more time using our Listening Skills than any other kind of skill Like other skills, Listening takes practice Real Listening is an active process Listening requires attention

Characteristics of Listening L = Look interested I = Involve yourself by responding S = Stay on target T = Test your understanding E = Evaluate the message N = Neutralize your feelings

10 Steps to Effective Listening Step 1: Face the speaker and maintain eye contact. Step 2: Be attentive, but relaxed. Step 3: Keep an open mind. Step 4: Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying. Step 5: Don’t interrupt and don’t impose your “solutions.” 1 minute Because the reality is that in engineering, effective communication will be crucial to your success. And that realization many engineers face as they begin their careers. In fact, there is a saying that, “In engineering, you’ll only go as far as your communications skills will take you.” And a recent survey conducted by ASME confirmed that. The respondents indicated that communications skills are crucial for success

10 Steps to Effective Listening (2) Step 6: Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions. Step 7: Ask questions only to ensure understanding. Step 8: Try to feel what the speaker is feeling. Step 9: Give the speaker regular feedback. Step 10: Pay attention to what isn’t said—to nonverbal cues. 1 minute Because the reality is that in engineering, effective communication will be crucial to your success. And that realization many engineers face as they begin their careers. In fact, there is a saying that, “In engineering, you’ll only go as far as your communications skills will take you.” And a recent survey conducted by ASME confirmed that. The respondents indicated that communications skills are crucial for success

The Process of Listening can be categorized into 4 main areas Hear Clarify Interpret Respond

Hear To listen actively and effectively, one must be a good hearer. Hearing involves picking up the sounds of the speaker by performing these actions: Allow the other person to talk. Avoid interruptions. Clear one's mind of distractions. Encourage the speaker to elaborate on what is being said through verbal and nonverbal cues. Focus on the speaker; e.g., maintain eye contact. Listen to what is said and not how it is said. Model the speaker's physical behavior to encourage further talking. Observe nonverbal behavior as well as what is said. Recognize that hearing is a psychological and physiological process. Use open-ended questions to encourage the speaker to continue talking.

Clarify Often, what is said is not completely or accurately heard. Although the speaker has the responsibility to ensure that what he or she said is understood, the reality is that the listener must make some effort, too. Here are some steps to help clarify what was said: Ask open-end questions to probe for further detail. Avoid asking leading questions to get the desired comment or response. Avoid coming to conclusions before the speaker finishes. Be cognizant of the speaker's choice and application of words. Encourage feedback through questioning. Keep all of your questions pertinent to the topic. Look for synchronicity between what was said and body language. Maintain two-way communication. Paraphrase what was said and verify for accuracy. Try to separate assumptions from facts and data.

Interpret After clarifying what the speaker said, be ready to interpret the message. Interpretation requires ascertaining not only the credibility behind what the speaker said but also an understanding of what was said. Here are some steps for interpreting a speaker's remarks: Avoid taking what the speaker says at face value by looking at feelings as well as body language. Communicate your interpretation and verify its accuracy. Concentrate on facts and data, not perceptions. Distinguish between assumptions, and facts and data. Identify the main ideas. Pay attention to nonverbal communications to determine sincerity about what is said.

Respond Sometimes we have to respond to what the speaker says. Of the four steps, this one is optional. Any response will have a physiological, emotional, and psychological aspect to it. Here are some steps to respond effectively: Be sincere. Conduct follow-up, if necessary, on any resulting request by the instructor or the speaker. Demonstrate a physiological (e.g., body language) and psychological response. Exhibit empathy rather than sympathy. Exhibit verbal and nonverbal cues that build bridges rather than walls between the project manager and the speaker. Seek feedback on your response.

Why Few People Listen Effectively Listening sometimes does not come easy. Often, the difficulty is not because people are not willing to listen but because they are unable to do so. Their mind does not allow them to see the total picture because they are only able to see the world in one dimension. This inability to listen using both sides of the brain can cause miscommunication, misinterpretation, and miscalculation.

Why Few People Listen Effectively (2) The result can be a listener who is unable to deal with not only the logic of a relationship but with the emotional component either. Hence, this asymmetrical use of the brain often results in the inability of the listener to absorb all the necessary cues from the person speaking. Effective and active listening requires, using both sides of the brain. Unfortunately, few people understand this fact. Instead, they see this skill as one reflecting the use of the right or left side of the brain.

Benefits of Effective Listening Enhances productivity Improves relations Avoids conflict Improves understanding Improves negotiation skills Helps you stand out People will appreciate it

Must Have Soft Skills for Engineers Career Success While speaking, writing, and listening are everyday actions, many professionals underestimate the importance of communication skills. Engineers tend to prioritize technical skills over communication skills, not realizing that they cannot be fully effective in their jobs if they are inadequate speakers, writers, and listeners. Yet it is particularly in the engineering fields that effective communication skills are crucial to success. In a survey conducted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers of both society members and nonmembers in engineering-related positions, respondents said they believe communication skills -- such as business writing, technical writing, public speaking, and presentation preparation -- are “crucial” for success as engineers work in and among more varied groups. The interaction between stakeholders, whether it is internal in an organization or external with partners or clients, is fraught with opportunities for misunderstanding. That is why effective communication also involves listening, which is an essential soft skill. Without actively listening to customers, clients, or project partners, problem-solving becomes much more difficult and time-consuming. 1 minute Because the reality is that in engineering, effective communication will be crucial to your success. And that realization many engineers face as they begin their careers. In fact, there is a saying that, “In engineering, you’ll only go as far as your communications skills will take you.” And a recent survey conducted by ASME confirmed that. The respondents indicated that communications skills are crucial for success

Engineers as Effective Listeners: The Real Deal Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process. Listening is key to all effective communication, without the ability to listen effectively messages are easily misunderstood – communication breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated. If there is one communication skill you should aim to master then listening is it. Learn more at:  http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/listening-skills.html#ixzz3uz0Gwzys 1 minute Because the reality is that in engineering, effective communication will be crucial to your success. And that realization many engineers face as they begin their careers. In fact, there is a saying that, “In engineering, you’ll only go as far as your communications skills will take you.” And a recent survey conducted by ASME confirmed that. The respondents indicated that communications skills are crucial for success

Listening Exercises 10 – 12 minutes This is an exercise for the entire group. Materials • One sheet of paper (8-1/2 x 11) for each participant • One sheet of paper for the facilitator Before going into the next section on presentations, I wanted to conduct a little communication exercise. During the discussion on reports, we talked about the section where you described what took place. That was an important part of the report because it enables people to replicate what you did. Being able to communicate that type of information effectively is necessary for every type of communication, not just reports, but in presentations, papers and even just verbally between to or more people. So this demo is to meant to show you the challenges in being an effective communicator. So let’s start. Directions After giving each participant one sheet of paper, offer the following directions, pausing after each instruction to give the group time to comply (complete the activity yourself using your own sheet of paper). 1. Pick up your sheet of paper and hold it in front of you. Close your eyes and listen carefully to my directions. The rules are: (1) no peeking and (2) no questions. 2. The first thing I want you to do is to fold your sheet of paper in half. (Pause) 3. Now, tear off the upper right hand corner. (Pause) 4. Fold the paper in half again and tear off the upper left hand corner of the sheet. (Pause) 5. Fold it in half again. (Pause) 6. Now tear off the lower right-hand corner of the sheet. (Pause) After all tearing is complete, say: Now, open your eyes and unfold your paper. If I did a good job of communicating and you did a good job of listening, all of our sheets should look exactly the same! Hold your sheet up for everyone to see. Ask participants to compare their sheets. Ask why no one’s paper matched yours exactly? You will probably get responses such as, “You didn’t let us ask any questions!” or “The way you gave us directions wasn’t clear!” Part of the communication process (and being a good communicator) is recognizing that people may need to receive information in different ways in order to be successful. Remember that someone reading your report or paper can’t ask you any questions. So you need to become a better communicator to avoid a misinterpretation of what your wrote or what you said. Remember, I never said in the directions that I wanted all your papers to look alike at the end. But what if I had made that the objective? What suggestions do can you think of that would have improved my directions? Track the results on a flip chart. Gauge your time and how much discussion you want before going onto the next session. To close: Think about the suggestions that were made and when you are writing or developing a presentation, think about the audience. What will you need to include so the audience receives and understands the information as you intended? Now let’s move on to Presentations.

Listening Exercises: Games to Improve Attention Paying close attention to a speaker is the first requirement of active listening. Maintaining attention isn’t easy, especially when the speaker or topic isn't interesting. Improve attention skills with games that require players to observe and remember details. Matching games -- like those that require players to remember the location of concealed images or find discrepancies between identical pictures -- build attentiveness. Make your own listening game out of reading a descriptive excerpt to players. Ask the players to list as many specific details as they remember, such as colors, dates, and names. The player who can accurately recall the greatest number of details wins.

Listening Exercises: Concentration Games Even when a college student consciously pays attention when listening, outside distractions can break his concentration. Memory games improve concentration skills by requiring players to recall images, sequences and patterns. To play a listening-based memory game among a group of students, begin a story and then instruct the group to take turns adding to the story. For example, start with, “I’m going on vacation and I’m bringing my bathing suit.” The first player to your right repeats the sentence and adds an item to the list. Continue until someone breaks the order.

Listening Exercises: Additional Resources http://blog.trainerswarehouse.com/communication-and-listening-exercises/ https://blog.udemy.com/listening-skills-exercises/

Summary Spend more time listening, and less time talking. Find interest in the other person. A Good listener keeps the communication path open. Read between the lines, a message has both content (words) and feelings. Take notes, we think faster than we talk. Assume the proper stance, assuming the stance of an attentive listener can actually improve listening. Beware of your filters, people have different filters based on their cultures, upbringing and genders. Men and women often have different kinds of filters that can cause listening problems. Summarize what you presented!

Questions Time Remaining Ask for questions.

Advanced Learning Workshop – Status (14 June 2013) Contact Information Advanced Learning Workshop – Status (14 June 2013) List the speakers/presenters and provide contact information (email) 1 minute List all of the speakers/presenters. Thank you again for joining us. Please feel free to contact me (or my colleagues) with any follow-up questions. (Be sure to mention completion of the evaluation form. Thank them for their honest feedback and that it will be used to improve the program.)

References http://www.ittoday.info/Articles/Applying_Listening.htm https://adanders.wp.d.umn.edu/fa15sec3/two-ears-one-mouth-why-listening-is-more-important-than-talking/ http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/listening-skills.html http://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2012/11/09/10-steps-to-effective-listening/

References http://www.educationcorner.com/listening-skills.html http://blog.readytomanage.com/top-20-best-books-on-communication-and-listening/ http://www.engineering.com/Jobs/JobArticles/ArticleID/5630/Which-Communication-Skill-Is-Most-Important.aspx

Suggested Readings Power Listening: Mastering the Most Critical Business Skill of All, by Bernard T. Ferrari, 2012 Active Listening 101: How to Turn Down Your Volume to Turn Up Your Communication Skills Kindle Edition, by Emilia Hardman The Lost Art of Listening, Second Edition: How Learning to Listen Can Improve Relationships Kindle Edition, by Michael P. Nichols http://www.wolaver.org/teaching/listeningskills.htm http://www.slideshare.net/smileyriaz/listening-skills-11545165 1 minute Just refer the participants to these suggested readings. Can be done as a handout as well. (Be sure to mention completion of the evaluation form. Thank them for their honest feedback and that it will be used to improve the program.)