EFFECTIVE LISTENING SKILLS

Slide 1: EFFECTIVE LISTENING SKILLS NACM Western Region Credit Conference Las Vegas, NV October 6, 2006 Mark D. Carlos President www.mcsideas.com (c) MC Solutions - 2006 1

Slide 2: Effective Listening Skills What is Listening? – a gift ( of TIME ) – a master skill (c) MC Solutions - 2006 2

Slide 3: Barriers to Listening • Takes time • Takes a clear mind • Emotional state • Bias or prejudice • Semantics & languages • Noise & verbal “clutter” • Boredom • Shrinking attention span (c) MC Solutions - 2006 3

Slide 4: Listening Tips • Eye Contact • Relaxed attention • Open mind • Word pictures • No interruptions / solutions • Wait for pauses to ask Q’s • Ask relevant Q’s only • Feel the speaker’s feelings • Give feedback • Think about what’s NOT said (c) MC Solutions - 2006 4

Slide 5: Feedback Skills Listen “out loud” by: • Offering verbal cues – Relevant questions – Paraphrasing statements – Reflections – Affirmations • Offering non-verbal cues – Smiles and frowns – Hand & body gestures – Eye contact / movements (c) MC Solutions - 2006 5

Slide 6: Types of Feedback • Compliments • Confrontation • Criticism (c) MC Solutions - 2006 6

Slide 7: Perceptual Skills Visual perceptions include: • Motor • Focus on foreground • Discrimination • Memory • Closure • Tracking • Integration • Language Association • Language Classification (c) MC Solutions - 2006 7

Slide 8: Perceptual Skills Auditory Perception includes: • Discrimination • Closure • Memory • Visual Integration • Focus on foreground • Integration • Language Association • Language Classification • Visual Coordination (c) MC Solutions - 2006 8

Slide 9: Interpreting Information • Open-Mindedness is VITAL • Review of goals, basis or premise • Organize the data into logical groups – Categories – Chronological – Measurements (c) MC Solutions - 2006 9

Slide 10: Why People React Negatively • Rejection • Denial • Ignoring • Defensiveness • Yes, but…. • Anger • Withdrawal • Passivity • Aggression • Fake Agreement (c) MC Solutions - 2006 10

Slide 11: Increasing Awareness of Varying Points of View • Not everyone sees the sky as blue - not as you do – Not blue at all – Not the same blue – Not all blue – Not just blue (c) MC Solutions - 2006 11

Slide 12: The Importance of Suspending Value Judgments - Waiting for More Information • Allow yourself to absorb an entire thought or series of thoughts • Arrive at conclusions naturally and gracefully • Don’t jump to conclusions too soon (c) MC Solutions - 2006 12

Slide 13: Learning Semantic Flexibility – The Impact on the Thinking Process • Table – How many legs? – What kind of wood or metal? – What size? • Dog – What size and weight? – What color? – A pet or a trained purpose? (c) MC Solutions - 2006 13

Slide 14: Thinking Strategically Motivation + Audience + Description ---------------------- Effective Communication (c) MC Solutions - 2006 14

Slide 15: EFFECTIVE LISTENING SKILLS Takes Commitment and Practice www.mcsideas.com (c) MC Solutions - 2006 15