Unit 1: Listening (HLRC612)

Unit 1: Listening (HLRC612)

• Hearing is a physical process, sound waves hitting the eardrums.
• Listening is an active process, requiring effort and focused thought.
• Listening isn't always for the same purpose - it can be for various reasons.

Purpose for Listening

• Informational Listening: Gaining and understanding information; often occurs in class or when processing new information.
• Critical Listening: Forming opinions, evaluating people and ideas. It involves listening to presentations.
• Relational Listening: Supporting a person and maintaining a relationship; useful with friends and family.

Purposes of Listening

• Pleasure: Listening to music, movies, for enjoyment and entertainment.
• Discrimination: Distinguishing between different sounds, such as a parent listening to a baby cry.

Listening Process

• Being Mindful: Conscious focus on the present moment to fully engage with the message.
• Physically Receiving: The sound waves stimulating the ear drum.
• Selecting and Organizing Material: Selecting what's important, and comparing sounds to prior experiences and knowledge.
• Interpreting Communication: Processing verbal and non-verbal signals to make sense of a message.
• Responding: Showing attention, interest, and sharing views in response.
• Remembering: Retaining the heard information.

Ways of Listening

• Important for Interpreting: Interpreters need specialized active listening training.
• Conveying Ideas: Active listening is essential for conveying ideas effectively.
• Different from Everyday Listening: Listening in contexts like interpreting, or with professional goals, differs from casual everyday conversations.
• Includes Memory: Effective listening requires good memory.
• Understanding Speakers: Important to understand the person who is giving information.

Everyday Listening

• Passive Listening: Listening to sounds, without comprehension or active retention; like listening to the radio.
• Superficial Listening: Conscious attention to words and phrases, but not necessarily comprehending the underlying meaning. Note-taking is helpful.
• Selective Listening: Only focusing on specific aspects of a conversation.

Non-Listening

• Six Types: Pseudo listening, pretending to listen while not truly participating; monopolizing, dominating conversations; selective listening, focusing on certain portions, and filtering out irrelevant messages.
• Defensive Listening: Perceiving the messages as personal attacks, reacting defensively rather than hearing the actual meaning.

Effective Listening Techniques

• Be Mindful: Focusing on the present moment.
• Control Obstacles: Avoiding distractions.
• Ask Questions: Seeking clarification.
• Use Aids to Recall: Note-taking, summarizing.
• Organize Information: Structuring the concepts in a logical manner.
• Suspend Judgment: Avoid forming opinions too quickly.
• Understand the Other's Perspective: Empathetic listening.
• Express Support: Showing encouragement and understanding.