The document outlines an agenda for a seminar on communication skills being held over multiple sessions at Boğazıçı University. The first session on April 22nd will focus on listening skills. It will cover motivation for improving listening, how to listen actively through paraphrasing, summarizing and questioning, and techniques for effective listening like avoiding distractions and reflecting on the speaker's message. Attendees will have opportunities to practice their listening and questioning skills. Future sessions will address writing, presentation preparation, and presentation delivery skills.

1. Communication Skills
Seminar
Boğazıçı University
April 22, 2004
Tom Atkinson

2. Seminar Agenda
Thursday, April 22: Listening Skills
Thursday, May 6: Writing Skills
Thursday, May 13: Presentation Skills: Preparation
Thursday, May 27? Presentation Skills: Presenting
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

3. Communication Skills Overview
Effective communication skills are a
critical element in your career and
personal lives.
We all must use a variety of
communication techniques to both
understand and be understood.
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

4. Most common ways to communicate
es
lImag
V isua
ing
Speak
Bod
y La n
Writing gua
ge
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

5. Communication Goals
To change behavior
To get and give
To get action
Information
To persuade To ensure understanding
Source: CGAP Direct
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

6. Critical success factor for life
The majority of your
perceived ability comes from
how you communicate 30% What you know
70% How you
communicate it
Source: CGAP Direct
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

7. Listening Skills
Boğazıçı University
April 22, 2004
Tom Atkinson

8. Agenda
1. Motivation
2. How to Listen
3. Paraphrasing, Summarizing and
Questioning
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

9. Part 1
Motivation

10. Session Objectives
 Be able to:
 Describe reasons that communication fails
 List strategies to improve communication
 Paraphrase and summarize conversations
 Use appropriate questioning techniques
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

11. Listening and Speaking are used a lot…
50%
45%
45%
40%
35%
30%
30%
25%
20%
16%
15%
9%
10%
5%
0%
Writing Reading Speaking Listening
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

12. … But not taught enough
50%
45%
45%
40%
Am
35% ou
nt
30% tau 30%
gh
25% t
20%
16%
15%
9%
10%
5%
0%
Writing Reading Speaking Listening
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

13. Listening is needed everywhere…
 Listening skills form the basis of:
 Continued learning
 Teamwork skills
 Management skills
 Negotiation skills
 Emotional intelligence
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

14. … But not practiced effectively
 70% of all communication is
 Misunderstood
 Misinterpreted
 Rejected
 Distorted
 Not heard
Source: CGAP Direct
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

15. Part 2
How to Listen

16. “Harry always was a poor listener.”

17. What if communication were not possible?
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18. Frustration and Chaos!
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19. Both children want the orange
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20. But without good listening, neither gets
what they want…
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21. Communication
Communication is the process of sending and
receiving information among people…
Feedback
receiver sender
SENDER RECEIVER
Source: CGAP Direct
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

22. Messages not delivered due to “distortion”
Feedback
Sender Receiver
Distortion
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23. What causes distortion?
 Speaker  Listener
 Language  Perceptions
 Wordiness  Preconceived
 Semantics notions/expectations
 Emotions  Physical hearing problem
 Inflections  Speed of thought
 Personal interests
 Emotions
 Attention span
 No active listening!
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

24. What do you think about?
I have something
really important to Maybe I should
tell you get a haircut
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

25. 30% of you aren’t paying
attention right now!

26. Clues that you are not listening
 Are you simply waiting for your turn to talk?
 Are you thinking about your reply before the
other person has finished talking?
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

27. Listening and speaking require energy
 Listening takes. . .
 concentration and energy
 curiosity and open-mindedness
 analysis and understanding
 Speaking requires. . .
 sharp focus
 logical thinking
 clear phrasing
 crisp delivery
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

28. How to be an active listener
 Set the stage
 Choose an appropriate physical environment
 Remove distractions
 Be open and accessible
 Maintain relaxed, open posture that shows concentration
 Ensure mutual understanding
 Reflect feelings
 Offer acknowledgements (say “uh-huh”)
 Paraphrase main ideas
 Interrupt to clarify
 Confirm next steps
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

29. How to be an active listener
 Understand body language
 Observe position and posturing
 Make eye contact
 Consider expression and gestures
 Suspend judgment
 Concentrate
 Keep an open mind
 Hear the person out
 Do not react to emotive words
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

30. Active Listening (not!)
 Behaviors that hinder effective listening
 Act distracted (look at your watch!)
 Tell your own story without acknowledging theirs
 Give no response
 Invalidate response, be negative
 Interrupt
 Criticize
 Diagnose what was said
 Give advice/solutions quickly
 Change the subject
 Reassure without acknowledgment
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

31. Let’s practice
 Tell the person next to you about your
Research Project
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32. Tell me your stories
 Do you feel your partner understood you?
 What made your partner easy/hard to listen to?
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

33. Part 3
Paraphrasing, Summarizing and
Questioning

34. Techniques to improve listening skills
SUMMARIZE
SUMMARIZE
PARAPHRASE
PARAPHRASE
Pull together
Pull together
Restate what was
Restate what was the main points
said in your own the main points
said in your own of a speaker
of a speaker
words
words
QUESTION
QUESTION
Challenge speaker
Challenge speaker
to think further,
to think further,
clarifying both your
clarifying both your
and their
and their
understanding
understanding
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

35. Practice Paraphrasing
 Paraphrasing is simply  Use phrases such as:
restating what another
person has said in your  In other words…
own words.
 I gather that…
 If I understand what you
are saying…
 What I hear you saying
is…
 Pardon my interruption,
but let me see if I
understand you
correctly…
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

36. Practice Summarizing
 Summarizing pulls  Try out these
important ideas, facts or summarizing phrases:
data together.  “If I understand you
 Useful for emphasizing key correctly, your main
points and setting the stage concerns are…”
for further discussion.  “These seem to be the
 The person summarizing key ideas you have
must listen carefully in expressed… ”
order to organize the
information systematically.
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

37. Two basic types of questions
1. Closed questions:
 Get a one-word response and inhibit thought.
 Questions begin with who, when and which
2. Open-ended questions:
 Invite unique thought, reflection or an explanation.
 Questions begin with how, what and how come (not why!).
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

38. Practice Questioning
 Rephrase the following closed questions to
make them open-ended:
1. Are you feeling tired?
2. Isn’t it a nice day?
3. Was the last activity useful?
4. Is there anything bothering you?
5. So everything is fine, then?
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

39. Let’s practice
 Tell the person next to you what you did last
weekend
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40. Questions?

41. Feedback
 Give an assessment of today’s session
 What did you like most and least?
 Assess the verbal presentation?
 Assess the slides?
 How useful do you think this topic will be for
future classes on communications?
tom.atkinson@alum.mit.edu
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson