The document discusses important aspects of effective listening such as the importance of listening, barriers to listening, and different approaches to listening. It notes that listening occurs more frequently than other communication activities and is important for career success. Barriers to listening include physiological, environmental, attitudinal, and socio-cultural factors. The document outlines three main approaches to listening: passive listening, questioning, and paraphrasing. It also discusses three main reasons for listening: listening for information, evaluative listening, and listening to help others.

1. Listening
Chapter 4 – Adler • M.Yaseen

2. Outline
• Importance of Listening
• Barriers to Effective Listening
• Approaches to Listening
• Reasons for Listening

3. IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING
• Occurs more frequently than speaking, reading,
writing
– 29.5% of waking hours, 65-90% of executive’s time
• Can play a major role in career success
– Find leads and succeed in job interviews
– Occupy higher levels in the organization
– Highly relates to ability to argue
• Important in a variety of careers, specially sales

4. BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING(6)
After a 10 minute presentation,
recall 50%;
after 48 hours,
recall 25%

5. a. Physiological Barriers
• Hearing Problems
– May create appearance of not paying attention
– Can usually be treated
• Rapid thought
– Listeners can process 500 words per minute
– Speaker talk at around 125 words per minute
– Mental spare time should be spent exploring
speaker’s ideas

6. b. Environmental Barriers
• Physical Distractions
▫ A stuffy room, noisy machinery, conversation
going on nearby
• Message Overload
▫ People dropping in, phone ringing, computer
beeping to signal incoming email
▫ You can keep only a few things going at one time

7. c. Attitudinal Barriers
• Preoccupation
▫ Baby-sitter, auto mechanic
• Egocentrism
▫ Thinking that your own ideas are more valuable
▫ Self-centered

8. d. Faulty Assumptions
• Effective communication is sender’s responsibility
– Unless there is someone to listen, there is just noise
– Both the speaker and listener share burden of reaching
an understanding
• Listening is passive
– Good listening can be hard work
• Ask questions, paraphrase, make sure you have
understood
• Talking has more advantages than listening

9. e. Socio-cultural Differences
• Cultural differences
– Accented speakers
• Mistakenly taken as less intelligent, less able to
understand
– Time spent listening
• Western society = weakness, passivity, lack of power
• Latin America, middle-east = family before business
– Silence as a part of listening
• Westerner = uncomfortable with Asian’s silence gap
• Gender differences
– Relational msg. versus content
– Listening noises

10. f. Lack of Training
• Training programs
• Seminars

11. APPROACHES TO LISTENING (3)

12. a. Passive Listening
• Stay out of the way, encourage speaker to talk
• Involves a mixture of silence and prompts
• Best when spotlight on speaker – formal pres.

13. b. Questioning
• Sincere questions
– Genuine requests for information
– Gather facts, detail; clarify meaning
• Counterfeit questions
– Make statements or offer advice
– Trap or attack the speaker
– Carry hidden agenda
– Seek “correct” answers

14. c. Paraphrasing
• Restate speaker’s ideas in your own words
– Make sure you have understood
– Important not to become a parrot
– translate speaker’s thoughts in your own language
• Can highlight misunderstandings
• Types
1. Paraphrasing content
2.Paraphrasing intent
3.Paraphrasing feelings

15. REASONS FOR LISTENING (3)

16. a. Listening for Information
• Withhold judgment
– Specially when you hold a very strong opinion
– Listen, understand, evaluate
• Be opportunistic
– What’s in it for me?
• Look for main idea and supporting points
– Ask or do a mental job of organizing
• Take notes
• Repeat what you heard

17. b. Evaluative Listening
• Seek information before evaluating
• Consider the speaker’s motives
• Examine the speaker’s supporting data
• Consider the speaker’s credentials
• Examine emotional appeals

18. c. Listening to Help
• 5 categories
– Advising
– Analyzing
– Questioning
– Supporting
– Paraphrasing
• Suggestions to be better empathic listener
– Avoid being judgmental
– Take time