Listerning skills

1. LISTENING SKILLS

2. • Listening is the ability to accurately receive sound
and interpret the message for undestanding.
• Listening is key to all effective oral communication.
• Effective listening is a skill that underpins all positive
humans relationship
• By all accounts, however, most of us are not very
good listeners.
• Sometimes we pretend to be listening when we are not.
• Sometimes we look attentive in class while our mind
wanders far away.
Note: What is the difference between listening and
hearing?

3.  Types of Listening
• Marginal Listening
Refers to a listener’s poor/partial listening habit.
It is characterised by inattention, day-dreaming, wandering
mind and avoiding understanding of complex points.
• Evaluative Listening
This involves passing hasty judgments about the speaker
instead of understanding the idea from speaker’s point of
view/frame of reference.
• Active Listening
Engaging fully with the speaker regardless whether you
agree to what the speaker says or not.
Separate facts from emotion feeling in an effort to listen
completely.

4. Obstacles to Effective Listening
Physiological barriers
 This is mainly biological factor
 You cannot listen effectively if you cannot hear what is
being said.
 Any form of hearing impairment
 Physical exhaustion or tiredness
 Age related factors due to degeneration

5.  Psychological barriers
Wandering mind & day dreaming
Lack of interest to the topic/speaker
Differences in opinion
Preconceived notions
Prejudgments etc.
 Linguistic barriers
Use of difficult words/expressions
Different accents and pronunciation
Mispronounced words or words with double
meaning

6.  Personality
Hard to listen if a speaker is different from what we view
as normal.
Unusual clothing
Mannerisms,
Radical hairstyle
Heavy jewelry
Too much perfume
 Environmental distractions
Busy surroundings (moving cars, loud music)
Irrelevant posters and pictures
Movement of people etc.

7. Building Powerful Listening Skills
 Give full attention
Focus entirely on the speaker
Avoid distractions
Maintain eye contact
Show interest through body language
 Control your environment
Close windows or doors,
Turn off noisy appliances such as TVs & radios
Choose a quite place and time etc.
Remove irrelevant pictures & posters

8.  Establish a receptive mind-set
Expect to learn something by listening.
Strive for a positive and receptive frame of mind.
If the message is complex, think of it as mental challenge.
 Keep an open mind
Discipline yourself to listen objectively.
Be fair to the speaker
Hear what is really being said, not what you want to hear.
Avoid prejudgments and dislike to the speaker

9.  Listen between the lines
Focus both on what is spoken and what is unspoken.
Listen for feelings as well as for facts.
Establish and maintain eye contact with the speaker

10.  Judge ideas, not appearances
Learn to concentrate on the content of the message, not on
the speaker.
 Take selective notes
Record important facts that must be recalled later.
Select only the most important points so that the note taking
process does not interfere with your concentration on the
speaker’s total message.

11.  Provide feedback
Let the speaker know that you are listening.
Nod your head, maintain eye contact etc.
Ask relevant questions at appropriate times.
Feedback confirms understanding