THE LISTENING PROCESS

LISTENING
Do you realise that we get taught to speak,
to read, and to write. However, nobody
teaches us how to listen and yet we spent
most of our time listening.
Listening is a skill that needs to be
developed and practised throughout our
lives.
 LISTENING SKILLS

• The art of listening requires a lot of practice.

• A recent survey conducted by the U.S.
Department of Labour states that, of the total
time we spend in communication, 22% is spent
in reading and writing, 23% in speaking and
55% in listening.
 WHY IS LISTENING IMPORTANT ?

• Listening is important because, good listeners

become productive workers, good at problem
solving and remembering and have good
interpersonal skills.
• Through effective listening, we build good
interpersonal relationships.
• Effective listening saves time, effort and money,
because you will listen the first time and then
repetition becomes unnecessary.
• Good listening skills leads to clear understanding.
 Hearing - listening distinction .

• To listen and to hear are not the same. The

ability to hear, is a passive process and it is
only a part of the listening process. But
listening , is an active process which requires
purposeful and systematic response to a
message.
THE STAGES OF LISTENING /THE PROCESS OF LISTENING

• 1. HEARING - Sound waves are received. At this stage

listening is passive, because it is only about hearing.
• 2. ATTENTION – The listener starts to focus on what is being
said and how it is said, thereby paying attention to sound.
• 3. UNDERSTANDING -The listener analysed and interpret
what is being said, so that understanding can take place.
Verbal and Non-verbal codes are analysed and interpreted.
Remember each listener is unique and understand things
differently. UNDERSTANDING IS THE ESSENCE OF ACTIVE
LISTENING. IT DETERMINES THE RESPONSE THE LISTENER WILL
MAKE.
• .
• 4. REMEMBERING- The message is stored for
later recall
• 5. RESPONDING – THE LISTENER RESPONDS TO
THE SPEAKER AND THE RESPONSE INDICATES THE
LISTENER’S UNDERSTANDING OF, AND FEELINGS
ABOUT THE MESSAGE . Important: The response
indicates whether the message was understood as
intended, or whether it should be clarified.
•
 HOW DO YOU BECOME AN ACTIVE LISTENER

• -Take notes : to be able to recall information and

to focus your attention on what is being said
• -Ask questions: Check if you understand the main
ideas
• Obtain clarification.
• Challenge the point the speaker made
• Gain a deeper understanding of the issue
• Focus on what is being said and not the way it is
said
 BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING
• During the communication process barriers to
effective listening may occur, and prevent the
listener from receiving the full or correct message
intended by the speaker, and can cause
misunderstandings.
• Barriers can occur at different Stages in the
communication process between the deliverance of
the message or the understanding of the message
by the listener, or between the understanding of
the listener and the feedback he delivers.
 PHYSICAL BARRIER
• Physical barriers are external, existing outside
of the listener. The listener has no control over
these barriers. A physical barriers is a real
barrier that you perceive through your senses:
Aural-what you hear, visual-what you see, or
your senses, such taste; smell or touch.
Eg: A microphone which is defective and it
crackles.
 INTERNAL BARRIERS
• PHYSIOLOGICAL refers to a persons body,
therefore those bodily conditions that will
interfere with the communication process.

• PSYCHOLOGICAL refers to a persons mind,

what he thinks, assume, fear. Etc.
• PERCEPTUAL refers to background
experience, past experience, selection, needs,
education.

• SEMANTIC BARRIERS refer to language barrier

that may occur, either because you do not
know that particular language or even when
the speaker uses a language you know.
 BARRIERS TO LISTENING
Listening habits:
• Bias - discrimination
• Assumptions - beliefs
• Boredom
• Subjectivity – based on personal opinions
• Focus on own response
• Poor listening habits
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF LISTENING

• DELIBERATE LISTENING:
Focuses on information and facts and it involves
an active process of seeking to understand and
analyse information.
 STRATEGIES FOR BECOMING AN EFFECTIVE DELIBERATE LISTENER

• RECALL what you know about the topic

• Use the time-lag between speech and comprehension
to analyse what the speaker is saying. Did you know
we think 4 times faster than what we speak?
• Make mental summaries
• When you listen to speakers, ask yourself what is the
point?
• Remain objective and open minded by focusing on
what the speaker is saying, avoid emotions, and avoid
jumping to conclusions.
 EMPATHIC LISTENING:
• Focuses on feelings or emotions, therefore,
with empathic listening we need to place
ourselves in the other persons’ shoes or see
the world as that person sees it. This type of
listening does not require the listener to
interpret or analyse what is being said, but
rather to emphasise with feelings or emotions.
 STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE EMPATHIC LISTENING

• Use non-verbal codes such as nod your head

where appropriate; maintain eye contact; lean
towards the person to signal your interest.
• Do not interrupt the speaker mid-sentence
• Do not allow yourself to be distracted
• Do not give advice unless asked to do so.
• Ask questions for clarification
• Do not analyse or evaluation the message
 TYPES OF LISTENING:CRITICAL

 With critical listening the goal is to evaluate or analyse what is

being said.
 Critical listening is also active listening.
 It usually involves some sort of problem solving or decision
making.
 Critical listening is akin to critical reading; both involve analysis
of the information being received and alignment with what we
already know or believe.
 Critical listening is about analysing opinion and making a
judgement.
 TYPES OF LISTENING:CRITICAL
• When the word ‘critical’ is used to describe listening, reading
or thinking it does not necessarily mean that you think that
the information you are listening to is somehow faulty or
flawed.
• Critical listening means engaging in what you are listening to
by asking yourself questions such as, ‘what is the speaker
trying to say?’ or ‘what is the main argument being
presented?’, ‘how does what I’m hearing differ from my
beliefs, knowledge or opinion?’.
• It is important, that when you are listening critically, to be
open-minded and not be biased by stereotypes or
preconceived ideas.
IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE LISTENING

• Interpersonal relationships – social and professional environment

• Clear understanding:
 Problem-solving
 Instructions
 New ideas
• Saving time, money and effort
 LISTENING CHECKLIST
• Am I focusing on what is being said
• Am I employing deliberate or emphatic
listening strategies, or both?
• Am I using the appropriate strategies needed?
• Am I controlling the listening situation
 How do you rate as a listener?
• Scale - always = 4; almost always = 3; rarely = 2; never = 1

• 1. Do I allow speakers to express their complete thoughts

• without interrupting? 4 3 2 1

• 2. Do I listen “between the lines” for hidden meanings? 4 3 2

1

• 3. Do I actively try to remember important facts? 4 3 2

1

• 4. Am I able to write down only the key words and

main ideas? 4 3 2 1
 How do you rate yourself as a listener?
• 5. Do I read essential details back to the speaker to ensure
correct understanding? 4 3 2 1

• 6. Do I stop listening to the speaker if the message is 4 3 2 1

boring?

• 7. Do I stop listening to the speaker because I do not like 4 3 2 1

him/her or do not know him/her?

• 8. Do I avoid becoming aggressive or excited when I do not 4 3 2 1

agree with the speaker’s opinions?

• 9. Do I ignore distractions when listening? 4 3 2 1

• 10. Do I express a genuine interest in the speaker’s 4 3 2 1

conversation?