The document discusses effective listening techniques. It begins by outlining the L-I-S-T-E-N model for good listening: look interested, involve yourself, stay on target, test your understanding, evaluate the message, and neutralize your feelings. It then defines listening and its importance in communication. The main body lists 10 principles of effective listening: stop talking, put the speaker at ease, remove distractions, empathize, be patient, avoid personal prejudice, prepare yourself, listen to tone, listen for ideas not just words, and watch for non-verbal cues. It concludes by describing common barriers to listening and providing tips for making listening more effective.

1. EVERY GOOD
CONVERSATION STARTS
WITH GOOD LISTENING

2. L-LOOK INTERESTED-GET INTERESTED
I- INVOLVE YOURSELF BY RESPONDING
S- STAY ON TARGET
T- TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING
E- EVALUATE THE MESSAGE
N- NEUTRALIZE YOUR FEELINGS

3. WHAT IS LISTENING
• LISTENING IS THE ABILITY TO
ACCURATELY RECEIVE AND
INTERPRET MESSAGES IN THE
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
• .LISTENING IS KEY TO ALL
EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION. WITHOUT
THE ABILITY
TO LISTEN EFFECTIVELY,
MESSAGES ARE EASILY
MISUNDERSTOOD.

4. Principles of
Effective Listening

5. 1. STOP TALKING
DON'T TALK, LISTEN
“IF WE WERE SUPPOSED TO TALK MORE THAN WE LISTEN, WE WOULD
HAVE TWO TONGUES AND ONE EAR.”
-MARK TWAIN
WHEN SOMEBODY ELSE IS TALKING LISTEN TO WHAT
THEY ARE SAYING, DO NOT INTERRUPT, TALK OVER
THEM OR FINISH THEIR SENTENCES FOR THEM. STOP,
JUST LISTEN.
WHEN THE OTHER PERSON HAS FINISHED TALKING
YOU MAY NEED TO CLARIFY TO ENSURE YOU HAVE
RECEIVED THEIR MESSAGE ACCURATELY.

6. 2. PUT THE SPEAKER AT EASE
HELP THE SPEAKER TO FEEL FREE TO SPEAK.
• REMEMBER THEIR NEEDS AND CONCERNS. NOD OR
USE OTHER GESTURES OR WORDS TO ENCOURAGE
THEM TO CONTINUE.
• MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT BUT DON’T STARE –
SHOW YOU ARE LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING
WHAT IS BEING SAID.

7. 3. REMOVE DISTRACTIONS
FOCUS ON WHAT IS BEING SAID.
• DON’T DOODLE, SHUFFLE PAPERS, LOOK
OUT THE WINDOW, PICK YOUR FINGERNAILS
OR SIMILAR. AVOID UNNECESSARY
INTERRUPTIONS. THESE BEHAVIOURS
DISRUPT THE LISTENING PROCESS AND
SEND MESSAGES TO THE SPEAKER THAT
YOU ARE BORED OR DISTRACTED.

8. 4. EMPATHISE
TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE OTHER PERSON’S
POINT OF VIEW.
• LOOK AT ISSUES FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE. LET
GO OF PRECONCEIVED IDEAS. BY HAVING AN
OPEN MIND WE CAN MORE FULLY EMPATHISE
WITH THE SPEAKER. IF THE SPEAKER SAYS
SOMETHING THAT YOU DISAGREE WITH THEN
WAIT AND CONSTRUCT AN ARGUMENT TO
COUNTER WHAT IS SAID BUT KEEP AN OPEN
MIND TO THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF
OTHERS.

9. 5. BE PATIENT
• A PAUSE, EVEN A LONG PAUSE, DOES NOT
NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE SPEAKER HAS
FINISHED.
• BE PATIENT AND LET THE SPEAKER CONTINUE
IN THEIR OWN TIME, SOMETIMES IT TAKES
TIME TO FORMULATE WHAT TO SAY AND
HOW TO SAY IT. NEVER INTERRUPT OR FINISH
A SENTENCE FOR SOMEONE.

10. 6. AVOID PERSONAL PREJUDICE
• TRY TO BE IMPARTIAL.
• DON'T BECOME IRRITATED AND DON'T LET THE PERSON’S
HABITS OR MANNERISMS DISTRACT YOU FROM WHAT THE
SPEAKER IS REALLY SAYING.
• EVERYBODY HAS A DIFFERENT WAY OF SPEAKING - SOME
PEOPLE ARE FOR EXAMPLE MORE NERVOUS OR SHY THAN
OTHERS, SOME HAVE REGIONAL ACCENTS OR MAKE
EXCESSIVE ARM MOVEMENTS, SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO PACE
WHILST TALKING - OTHERS LIKE TO SIT STILL.
• FOCUS ON WHAT IS BEING SAID AND TRY TO IGNORE
STYLES OF DELIVERY.

11. 7. PREPARE YOURSELF TO LISTEN
RELAX.
• FOCUS ON THE SPEAKER. PUT OTHER THINGS
OUT OF MIND. THE HUMAN MIND IS EASILY
DISTRACTED BY OTHER THOUGHTS – WHAT’S FOR
LUNCH, WHAT TIME DO I NEED TO LEAVE TO
CATCH MY TRAIN, IS IT GOING TO RAIN – TRY TO
PUT OTHER THOUGHTS OUT OF MIND AND
CONCENTRATE ON THE MESSAGES THAT ARE
BEING COMMUNICATED.

12. 8. LISTEN TO THE TONE
• VOLUME AND TONE BOTH ADD TO WHAT
SOMEONE IS SAYING.
• A GOOD SPEAKER WILL USE BOTH VOLUME
AND TONE TO THEIR ADVANTAGE TO KEEP
AN AUDIENCE ATTENTIVE; EVERYBODY WILL
USE PITCH, TONE AND VOLUME OF VOICE IN
CERTAIN SITUATIONS – LET THESE HELP
YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE EMPHASIS OF
WHAT IS BEING SAID.

13. 9. LISTEN FOR IDEAS – NOT JUST WORDS
• YOU NEED TO GET THE WHOLE PICTURE, NOT
JUST ISOLATED BITS AND PIECES.
• MAYBE ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT
ASPECTS OF LISTENING IS THE ABILITY TO
LINK TOGETHER PIECES OF INFORMATION TO
REVEAL THE IDEAS OF OTHERS. WITH PROPER
CONCENTRATION, LETTING GO OF
DISTRACTIONS, AND FOCUS THIS BECOMES
EASIER.

14. 10. WAIT AND WATCH FOR NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
• GESTURES, FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, AND EYE-
MOVEMENTS CAN ALL BE IMPORTANT.
• WE DON’T JUST LISTEN WITH OUR EARS BUT
ALSO WITH OUR EYES – WATCH AND PICK
UP THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BEING
TRANSMITTED VIA NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION.

15. BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING
• HEARING PROBLEMS
• RAPID THOUGHTS
• OVERLOAD OF MESSAGE
• EGOTISM
• PERCEPTIONS
• LACK OF TRAINING
• LACK OF INTEREST
• IMPATIENCE
• CRITICISING MIND

16. HEARING PROBLEMS
HEARING DEFICIENCY INTERRUPTS IN THE
WAY TO LISTENING. BUT SUCH PROBLEMS IS
PSYCHOLOGICAL NOT INTENTIONAL.
USUALLY SUCH TYPE OF PERSON ARE VERY
FEW IN THE ORGANIZATION. BY KNOWING
THEIR PROBLEMS, THEY CAN BE MEDICALLY
TREATED.

17. OVERLOAD OF MESSAGE
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DIGEST THE
OVERLOADED MESSAGE. WHEN MESSAGE
IS LENGTHY OR ILLOGICALLY IN
SEQUENCING, IT BECOMES MORE
PAINFUL TO RETAIN THE
CONCERTATION. AS A RESULT LISTENING
BECOMES INEFFECTIVE.

18. EGOTISM
ONE OF THE COMMON BARRIERS TO LISTENING IS
EGOTISM OF SELF-CENTRED ATTITUDE. THINKING
THAT MY OWN IDEAS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN
THOSE OF OTHER PERSON OR “MYSELF IS ALWAYS
RIGHT” AND THE OTHER IS WRONG, IS THE MAJOR
STUMBLING BLOCK IN THE WAY OF LISTENING.
LISTENING REQUIRES OPEN MIND AND HEART FEE
FROM NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. IF THE MIND IS
CLOSED FOR THE OTHER PERSON’S MESSAGE,
THERE WILL BE NO LISTENING

19. LACK OF INTEREST
LACK OF INTEREST IS THE COMMON
BARRIER OF LISTENING PROCESS.
PEOPLE LISTEN NOT WHAT THE OTHER
IS SAYING BUT WHAT INTEREST THEM.
IF THE LISTENER HAS NO INTEREST IN
THE SUBJECT, IT SHALL BORE HIM OR
MAKE HIM DULL AND AS A RESULT, THE
PROCESS OF LISTENING SHALL SUFFER.

20. IMPATIENCE
IMPATIENCE IS ALSO BARRIER IN THE LISTENING
PROCESS. LISTENING REQUIRES PATIENCE. WHEN WE
HAVE NO PATIENCE, WE DO NOT LISTEN BUT WAIT TO
TALK AND CONVEY WHAT WE THINK. WITH THIS
DIALOGUE DOES NOT TAKE PLACE. THERE IS NOTHING
FRUSTRATING WHEN IN DISCUSSION, ONE PART IS
CONSTANTLY USING HIS OR HER OWN FRAME OF
REFERENCE, TALKING ABOUT HIS OR HER OWN
EXPERIENCES AND IMPOSING THAT FRAME OF
REFERENCE UPON THE SPEAKER. WITH THIS
COMPETITIVE DESIRE TO TALK, COMMUNICATION

21. HOW TO MAKE LISTENING EFFECTIVE
• STOP TALKING AS YOU CAN NOT LISTEN DURING
TALKING.
• WATCH AND WITNESS YOUR BODY AND MIND TO
ENSURE THAT YOU ARE FREE FROM NEGATIVE
EMOTIONS WHICH MAY INTERRUPT THE LISTENING
PROCESS, AND YOU ARE FEELING RELEASED AND
REVITALATED.
• FREE YOUR MIND FROM PRESUMPTION AND
PRECONCEIVED IDEAS BY BEING AWARE OF THEM.
• AVOID THE EXTERNAL DISTRACTION IF THERE IS

22. • PUT THE TALKER AT EASE WITH SMILING FACE AND
SWEET WORDS, SO THAT HE CAN COMMUNICATE
FRANKLY AND FEARLESSLY.
• DEMONSTRATE YOUR INTEREST IN THE TALKER’S
SPEECH THROUGH FACIAL EXPRESSIONS OR ACTIVE
QUESTIONING, RELATED WITH THE TOPIC
• BE PATIENT AND ALLOW THE TALKER SUFFICIENT
TIME TO CLARIFY HIS POINT. DO NOT INTERRUPT
HIM.
• SUSPEND THE JUDGEMENT FOR THE TIME BEING TO
AVOID PREMATURE EVALUATION AND JUDGEMENT.
• BE CAREFUL THAT YOUR LISTENING IS NOT
SELECTIVE AND PARTIAL, BUT TOTAL AND DEEP