1. October 31, 2011
Business 365 – Professors Epstein, Graves
The
Fundamentals of
Listening
Professor Patel
Emory University Alumni

2. Today’s Agenda
Effective Overcoming
Levels of
Listening Listening
Listening
Skills Barriers

3. Today’s Agenda
Effective Overcoming
Levels of
Listening Listening
Listening
Skills Barriers

4. Did you know…
The average trained
listener’s attention
span is only 11
seconds?
Levels of Overcoming
Listening Listening Barriers

5. Hierarchy of Listening
Level 1:
Empathic
Level 2:
Hearing But
Not Really Listening
Level 3:
Listening in Spurts
Effective Listening Levels of Overcoming
Skills Listening Listening Barriers

6. MORE DETAILS
Hierarchy of Listening
Level 1: Empathic Listening (The Desired Level)
1. Refrain from judgment
2. Pay close attention
3. Attempt understanding and convey interest
Level 2: Hearing, Not Listening
1. Pretend to hear, respond absently
2. Do not understand intent
3. Focus on words at a logical level
Level 3: Listening in Spurts
1. Tune in and out, pretend to listen
2. Hear only part of the message
3. Think about something else

7. Examples of Levels of Listening
Radio Classroom Interview Coaching
or or or or
TV Meeting Negotiation Counseling
High-energy Listening Low-energy Listening

8. Become a Better Listener
Benefits:
1. Improved communication
2. Increased information gathering
3. Greater business success
Judging: Place value on the questioner or project
Problem-solving: Speaker may not be looking for a
solution, but rather an empathetic ear

9. Overcome Listening Barriers
Develop The Skills of Listening:
1. Attending – demonstrating behaviors that encourage
conversation
2. Following – encouraging your partner to participate in
the conversation
3. Reflecting – affirming that you understand by
summarizing content

10. Attendance Skills
Control your nonverbal behavior
• Maintain an involved posture
• Look at the speaker
Create a listening environment
• Eliminate distractions
• Consider the space arrangement
Consider the speaker’s nonverbal cues
• Facial expressions
• Eye expressions and contact
• Body posture and gesturing pattern

11. Use Open Ended Questions
For the Questioner
 Identify feelings, concerns, perspectives
 Discover priorities
 Determine future questions, assignments
For the Responder
 Control the content
 Express themselves individually and freely
 Feel comfortable and natural