Listening Skills PDF

 Objectives By the end of this lecture you will be able to discuss: Good and poor listening criteria Effect of poor listening Types of listening Some keys for effective listening Good Listening  The Secrets of Good Listening "Listening well is as powerful a means of...

 Objectives By the end of this lecture you will be able to discuss: Good and poor listening criteria Effect of poor listening Types of listening Some keys for effective listening Good Listening  The Secrets of Good Listening "Listening well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well.” In many professions Lack of attention and respectful listening can be costly Leading to: mistakes, poor service, misaligned goals, wasted time and lack of teamwork Poor Listening Good Listening Tending to drift with Thinks and mentally slow speakers. summarizes, weighs the evidence, listens between Easily distracted. the lines to tones of voice and evidence. Takes intensive notes,; has only one Fights distractions, way to take notes. understands bad communication habits, The more notes knows how to concentrate. taken, the less value Has 2-3 ways of taking notes and organizes important information Poor Listening Good Listening Can be over stimulated, tends to Does not form a conclusion until seek and enter into arguments. comprehension is complete. Inexperienced in listening. Has experience. shows no energy output (interest, holds eye contact and helps encouragement). speaker along by showing an active body state. Judges delivery rather than Judges content, skips over delivery content. errors. Listens for facts. Listens for central ideas. Five steps to attentive listening: {SOLER} 1. Squarely face the person 2. Open your posture 3. Lean towards the sender 4. Eye contact maintained 5. Relax while attending Some keys to listening well Attention Respond respect understand  Some keys to listening well: 1. Give 100% Attention: Prove you care by suspending all other activities. a. prove you received the message. b. prove it had an impact on you. c. Speak at approximately the same energy level as the other person... d. Then they’ll know you are listening and don’t have to repeat. 2. Respond. Responses can be both verbal and nonverbal nods, expressing interest Facial expression Empathy  3. Prove understanding: 1. To say "I understand" is not enough. Give evidence or prove of understanding. e.g. by occasionally restating the main idea or by asking a question which proves you grasped the main idea. transmit genuine messages of understanding when you are listening / communicating.  4. Prove respect Prove you take other views seriously. It is not enough to say, "I appreciate your position" or "I know how you feel." Prove it by being willing to communicate with other party at their level of understanding and attitude. e.g. by adjusting tone of voice, rate of speech and choice of words - to show that we are trying to imagine being in their place  MAIN LISTENING SKILLS 1. Listening with our faces : The face contain most of the receptive equipment It is natural that we should direct our faces towards the source of information.  2. use other receptors besides your ears (eye contact) You can be a better listener when you look at the other person. The eyes pick up non-verbal signals that all people send out when they are speaking. Your eyes will also establish the eye contact that speakers are trying to make. Eye contact completes the communication circuit between speaker and listener.  3. sending out non-verbal signals. Your face gives the range of emotions that indicate whether you are following what the speaker has to say. By moving your face (expression) to the information, you can better concentrate on what the person is saying. The face must become an active catcher & reflector of information.  4. move your mind to concentrate on what the speaker is saying You cannot fully hear their point of view or process information when you argue mentally or judge what they are saying before they have completed. An open mind is a mind that is receiving and listening to information.  THINGS TO REMEMBER 1. If you are really listening intently, you should feel tired after your speaker has finished. 2. Effective listening is an active rather than a passive process 3. When you find yourself drifting away during a listening session, change your body position and concentrate on using one of the above 4 skills. 4. Once one of the skills is being used, the other active skills will come into place as well 5. It is extremely difficult to receive information when you are speaking (interrupting) at the same time, or even thinking about what you will say next. A good listener will stop talking and use receptive language instead. Listening and empathy training Listening and empathizing are essential skills when relating to others. One study showed that most people spend 70% of the day communicating, 45% of that time listening. We all want to be listened to We now know what listening means  However, to really listen is more than hearing & understanding the words it is truly understanding and accepting the other person's message and his/her situation and feelings. Empathy means understanding another person so well that you identify with him/her, you feel like he/she does. References: 1. "How to Be a Better Listener" by Sherman K. Okum, Nation's Business, August 1975 2. "Building a Professional Image: Improving Listening Behavior" by Philip Morgan and Kent Baker, Supervisory Management, November 1995 3. John Marshall Any ?????