The document discusses listening skills and the listening process. It defines listening and differentiates it from hearing. Listening is an active mental process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken messages. The document outlines 10 types of listening including appreciative, empathetic, informative, and critical listening. It also discusses the importance of listening, features of effective listening, barriers to listening, and techniques to improve listening skills. The listening process involves receiving sound, paying attention, understanding, remembering, evaluating, and providing feedback.

1. Listening skills
LENNAH M NZOMO.

2. defination
 It is the act of receiving sound ,constructing meaning and responding to
the spoken message
 It’s a routine activity most people do not even realise that they are poor
listeners
 It is an action you choose to actively concentrate on what you hear.
Hearing is the act of receiving sound /perceiving sound by the ear with or
without consent

3. cont
 Listening is physical and mental learned skill
 Hearing is physical process or natural passive
Importance of listening
1. its an essential task for effective communication
2. Helps us build and maintain relationship
3. Means of acquiring information
4. Means of learning new language
5. Help solve problems
6. Helps in decision making help in sharing information

4. cont
7.Helps in framing plans and policies
8. provides encouragement
9.Its essential for success in academic and business
10.Its linked with trhe ability to remember information
11. Listening reduces strss and tension by minimizing
confusion,misunderstanding .

5. Effective listening
 Involves actively absorbing information given by the speaker showing
interest
 Includes providing the speaker with the feedback by asking relevant
questions so the speaker knows the message is received
Features of listening
 mental activity (attentive and concentrate)
 Its improved by experience
 Non verbal com. Help inn listening
 Listening stimulates speaking
 Listening involve paying close attention to the sounds that come in way of
communication.

6. Listening process
 Involves receiving oral stimuli ( music ,words or sounds) through hearing
 The ear translates the vibration from oral stimuli into sensation that is
registered by the brain.
 Listening takes place by brain using attention and working memory
,interprets the sensation and gives it meaning (interpretation)
NB ;short memory : stores information for immediate use
retaining /long term memory for future recall(recalling)

7. Steps in listening process
RECEIVING :
 responses caused by sound waves stimulating the sensory receptors to
the ear
 Its intentional focus on hearing speakers message which happens when we
filter out other sources so that we can isolate the message and avoid the
confusing
 Hearing message.
ATTENTION:
 Also known as the choosing stage
 Despite of many oral auditory stimuli at this stage the mind focus

8. cont
 And block others (choosing stages) THIS PROCESS is called attention
(SELECTIVE and AUTOMATIC)
 SELECTIVE ;is for the information which we term important
 AUTOMATIC ;is focus we give to stimuli signaling a change in our
surrounding .we give automatic attention to stimuli that we perceive
danger.
NB;your own needs ,interests ,attitude and knowledge affects choice to pay
attention

9. CONT
UNDERSTANDING:
 One learns what the speaker means the thoughts and emotion, tone.
 There is an attempt to learn the meaning of the message which is not easyb if the message
was not clear leading to misunderstanding.
REMEMBERING:
 other than understanding the meaning of the message the mind stores the message
NB;if you cannot remember something that was said you mighty not hav listened effectively.
Types of memory
1) Working memory;conscious mind that interprets and assigns meaning to sitm,uli we pay
attention
2) Shortterm memory
3) Long term memory

10. CONT
REMEMBERING:
Its instrumental in recalling shared information and helps in creating meaning
after hearing.
EVALUATING :
 Its judging the value of the message we might be thinking .
 Varies widely from one listener to another
 The most open minded listeners will have opinions of speaker and those
opinions will influence how the message is evaluated.

11. cont
 FEEDBACK:
 Final stage of the listening process .you indicate your involvement any
thing you do can be interpreted as feedback.
 Example ;asking for clarification.

12. Types of listening
1. Appreciative listening: listening for pleasure and enjoyment as one
listens to favorite music ,to comedy , or to an entertaining speech or
favorite show.
2. Empathetic listening: listening to provide emotional support to the
speaker as when a psychiatric listens to a mentally ill patient or when we
tend a empathetic ear to a friend
focusing an understanding and identifying with person situation feeling
or motives
attempt to understand what the other person feeling
3.Symphathetic listening; pay close attention and express on sorrow for
events or happiness in joyful event

13. cont
 Focus on evaluating a message for logic or reason
 One is able to make judgements based on your evaluation of the speaker
 The evaluating its accurate and meaningful
Informative listening: selective listening aims at concentrating on the
message being given ,lesson, directives instructions ,the listener assigns a
close meaning as a soonest possible
Therapeutic listening :sound training in combination with sensory integrative
technique

14. cont
 Comprehensive listening /active listening
Listening to understand the message of a speaker as when we attend a
classroom lecture or listen to directions for finding a friends house
Actively understanding the meaning of the speakers words while
simultaneously interpreting non-verbal clues such as facial expressions
,gestures posture and vocal quality.
During a questions and answer sessions speakers use-comprehensive
listening skills to accurately interpret the audience questions.

15. Steps for active listening
 Listening carefully by using all senses
 Paraphrasing what is heard both mentally or verbally
 Checking your understanding to ensure accuracy
 Providing feedback
NB/ acronym( SOLAR) for effective active listening during basic counseling
S-sit squarely
O-open posture
L-lean forward
A-active listening
R-relax

16. cont
 Critical /analytical listening ;listening to evaluate the message for the
purposes of accepting or reflecting it, as when we listen to sales speech of
a used car, or the campaign speech of a political candidate
 Discriminative listening;

17. Techniques of listening skills
1. Focus on key points
2. Being aware of both verbal and non-verbal message
3. Listen with an open mind
4. Avoid false attention and pretending to listen
5. Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying question
6. Be attentive and relaxed

18. Rules for listening
 Stop talking
 Put the speaker at ease
 Show interest of listening
 Remove distractions
 Empathize with the speaker
 Be patient
 Hold your temper
 Refrain from arguments and criticism
 Ask questions.
 Stop talking again

19. Barriers to effective listening
Distractions-
a).semantic-the listener is confused about the actual meaning of a word as
the word has different meanings.
b).physical-this occurs when, for e.g.., the air-conditioning system or
microphones fail, or there is noise in the surroundings or someone is
constantly tapping on the table with his fingers
c).mental-this occurs when the listener makes himself the central character of
his daydreams and forgets the speakers
Faking attention or pretending to listen- this usually happens when the
message consists of uninteresting nature, the listener may not want to
bother to understand .

20. cont
Defensive listening- the speakers views challenge the listeners beliefs
Prejudice-the listeners bias, negative attitude, preconceived notions,fears,or
stress adversely affect listening.
Information overload-the listener may be exposed to too many words or
points and therefore be unable top take in everything
Language problem –for effective listening language is important better use
simple words and avoid unfamiliar words
Thought –speaking rate - the rate is 125 -150 words per minute, whereas the
thinking rate is 400 words per minute ,so the listener minds is moving much
faster than the speakers is able to speak .the extra intervening time ,before
the speakers arrives at his next point ,is usually spent in shifting's ones
mental focus or in day dreaming

21. cont
 Short attention span-the natural attention span for hum beings is short
.this is easy to rectify ,except for making a special effort to concentrate
and prolong ones attention span
Assignments
How to overcome listening barriers
Listening strategies

22. How to retain content of the speaker(
IS A FACT)
 IDENTIFY : identify the speakers ideas and connections among the ideas
 SUMMARIZE: the summary of main points
 ASSES- assess the correctness or validity of the message
 FORMULATE- formulate appropriate questions
 ASSOCIATE-associate the speakers ideas with other known concepts
 CONSIDER –consider specific ways the information might be used
 TAKE NOTES-take notes to assist in better recall (to bring to mind)