This document discusses listening skills. It defines listening as accurately receiving and interpreting messages, which is key to effective communication. Good listening skills can lead to benefits like improved customer satisfaction and productivity. While hearing is a physical process, listening requires mental focus and effort to understand verbal and non-verbal messages. Research shows that people spend 45% of their communication time listening, more than any other single activity. The purpose of listening includes gaining understanding, showing interest, assessing information, and arriving at shared understanding. Barriers to effective listening include distractions, lack of interest, biases, and preconceptions. Non-verbal signs of ineffective listening include a lack of eye contact and engagement. Overcoming barriers involves preparing to listen without distractions,

1. L I S T E N I N
G S K I L L S
Divyanshu Bhoyar
CSE Sem 1
Roll no 17
C o m m u n i c a t i o n P r a c t i c a l

2. About
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About
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 Listening is the ability to accurately receive and
interpret messages in the communication.
It is key to all effective communication.
 Listening is so important that many top
employers provide listening skills training for
their employees.
 This is not surprising when you consider that
good listening skills can lead to better customer
satisfaction, greater productivity with fewer
mistakes, and increased sharing of information
that in turn can lead to more creative and
innovative work.
 Many successful leaders and entrepreneurs
credit their success to effective listening skills

3. Listening is not the same as
Hearing
Listening is Not the Same
as Hearing
• Hearing refers to the sounds that enter your ears. It is a physical process that, provided you do not
have any hearing problems, happens automatically.
• Listening, however, requires more than that: it requires focus and concentrated effort, both
mental and sometimes physical as well.
• Listening means paying attention not only to the story, but how it is told, the use of language and voice,
and how the other person uses his or her body. In other words, it means being aware of both verbal and
non-verbal messages
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4. 4
“The most basic and powerful way
to connect to another person is to
listen. Just listen. Perhaps the
most important thing we ever give
each other is our attention”
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5. Of this, research shows that an average of 45% is spent
listening compared to 30% speaking, 16% reading and 9%
writing. (Adler, R. et al. 2001). That is, by any standards, a lot
of time listening. It is worthwhile, therefore, taking a bit of
extra time to ensure that you listen effectively
We spend a lot of
time in listening
70% 45%
Time in
Communication
Of communication time
is
listening
Writing
Listening
speaking
Reading
communicat
ion
Non
communicat
ion time
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0 0.5 1 1.5 2
09%
45%
70%
16%
30%
30%
80

6. The purpose of listening
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The purpose of listening
To gain a full and accurate
understanding into the
speakers point of view and
ideas.
To show interest,
concern and
concentration.
To specifically focus on the
messages being
communicated, avoiding
distractions and
preconceptions.
There is no doubt that effective listening is an extremely important life skill. Why is
listening so important?
Listening serves a number of possible purposes, and the purposeof listening will
depend on the situation and the nature of the communication.
To encourage the
speaker to communicate
fully, openly and
honestly
To observe the non-
verbal
signals accompanyin
g what is being said
to enhance
understanding.
To develop an selflessness
approach, putting speaker
first.
To critically assess
what is being said
To arrive at a shared
and agreed
understanding and
acceptance of both
sides views.

7. Mistakes while ListeningMistakes while listening
• It is common, when listening to someone else speak, to be formulating a reply whilst the other person is still
talking.
• Even good listeners are often guilty of critically evaluating what is being said before fully understanding the
message that the speaker is trying to communicate. The result is that assumptions are made and conclusions
reached about the speaker's meaning, that might be inaccurate.
• Even if we are not formulating a response whilst listening, we may still be thinking of other things, albeit
subconsciously. At such times, we are distracted and not giving our full attention to what is being
said. In other words we are not actively listening to the speaker.
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8. Barriers to effective listeningBarriers to effective listening
There are many things that get in the way of
listening and you should be aware of these
barriers, many of which are bad habits, in
order to become a more effective
listener. Barriers and bad habits to effective
listening can include the points further
discussed.
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9. Trying to listen to more than one
conversation at a time, this includes
having the television or radio on while
attempting to listen to somebody talk;
being on the phone to one person and
talking to another person in the same
room and also being distracted by some
dominant noise in the immediate
environment.
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You find the communicator
attractive/unattractive and you pay more
attention to how you feel about the
communicator and their physical
appearance than to what they are saying.
Perhaps you simply don't like the speaker
- you may mentally argue with the
speaker and be fast to criticise, either
verbally or in your head.
Identifying rather than empathising -
understanding what you are hearing but not
putting yourself in the shoes of the speaker.
As most of us have a lot of internal self-
dialogue we spend a lot of time listening to
our own thoughts and feelings - it can be
difficult to switch the focus from 'I' or 'me' to
'them' or 'you'.

10. You are not interested in the
topic/issue being discussed
and become bored..
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Not focusing and being
easily distracted, fiddling with
your hair, fingers, a pen etc.
or gazing out of the window or
focusing on objects other than
the speaker.
Feeling unwell or tired, hungry,
thirsty or needing to use the toilet,
Or because of getting highly
preoccupied

11. Sympathising rather than
empathising - sympathy is not
the same as empathy, you
sympathise when you feel
sorry for the experiences of
another, to empathise is to put
yourself in the position of the
other person.
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You are prejudiced or
biased by race, gender, age,
religion, accent, and/or past
experiences..
You have preconceived ideas or
bias - effective listening includes
being open-minded to the ideas
and opinions of others, this does
not mean you have to agree but
should listen and attempt to
understand.

12. Previous experiences – we are all
influenced by previous
experiences in life. We respond
to people based on personal
appearances, how initial
introductions or welcomes were
received and/or previous
interpersonal encounters. If we
stereotype a person we become
less objective and therefore less
likely to listen effectively.17
Preoccupation - when we
have a lot on our minds we
can fail to listen to what is
being said as we're too busy
concentrating on what we're
thinking about. This is
particularly true when we feel
stressed or worried about
issues.
Having a Closed Mind - we all have
ideals and values that we believe to
be correct and it can be difficult to
listen to the views of others that
contradict our own opinions. The key
to effective listening and
interpersonal skills more generally is
the ability to have a truly open mind.

13. Non verbal signs of
ineffective listening
Non verbal signs of ineffective
Listening
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Lack of eye contact
with the speaker –
listeners who are
engaged with the
speaker tend to give eye
contact. Lack of eye
contact can, however,
also be a sign of
shyness.
An inappropriate
posture - slouched,
leaning back or ‘swinging’
on a chair, leaning
forward onto a desk or
table and/or a constantly
shifting posture. People
who are paying attention
tend to lean slightly
Being distracted - fidgeting,
doodling, looking at a watch,
yawning.
Inappropriate expressions and
lack of head nods -Lack of head
nods can mean the opposite –
listening is not happening. The
same can be true of facial
expressions, attentive listeners us
smiles as feedback mechanisms
and to show attention
Head nods are subconscious
activity.

14. Other signs of ineffective
listening
Other signs of ineffective
Listening
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Sudden Changes in
Topic: When the listener is
distracted they may
suddenly think about
something else that is not
related to the topic of the
speaker and attempt to
change the conversation to
their new topic.
Selective Listening: This
occurs when the listener
thinks they have heard the
main points or have got the
gist of what the speaker
wants to say. They filter out
what they perceive as being
of key importance and then
stop listening or become
distracted.
Daydreaming: Daydreaming
can occur when the listener
hears something that sets off a
chain of unrelated thoughts in
their head – they become
distracted by their ‘own world’
and adopt a ‘far-away’ look.
Advising: Some people
want to jump in early in a
conversation and start to
offer advice before they
fully understand the
problem or concerns of
the speaker.

15. Overcoming the
barriers
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Don't talk,
listenLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras
eget urna fermentum sem sagittis loborti.
Put the Speaker at
EaseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras
eget urna fermentum sem sagittis loborti.
Prepare Yourself to
ListenLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras
eget urna fermentum sem sagittis loborti.
Remove Distractions
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eget urna fermentum sem sagittis loborti.
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Empathise
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eget urna fermentum sem sagittis loborti.
Be Patient
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eget urna fermentum sem sagittis loborti.
Be Patient
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eget urna fermentum sem sagittis loborti.
Avoid Personal
PrejudiceLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras
eget urna fermentum sem sagittis loborti.
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Listen for Ideas – Not Just
WordsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras
eget urna fermentum sem sagittis loborti.
Wait and Watch for Non-Verbal
CommunicationLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras
eget urna fermentum sem sagittis loborti.
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17. 29
Thank YOU
Thank You
Divyanshu
Bhoyar
In all the presentations,
Courtesy
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Roll no 17
CSE Deptt,
Government College Of
Engineering,
Nagpur