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Writing Reading Speaking Listening
5. Listening skills form the basis of:
◦ Continued learning
◦ Teamwork skills
◦ Management skills
◦ Negotiation skills
◦ Emotional intelligence
6. 70% of all communication is
◦ Misunderstood
◦ Misinterpreted
◦ Rejected
◦ Distorted
◦ Not heard
7. Difference between Listening and Hearing
◦ Hearing is a natural ability to detect sounds
◦ Listening is a skill, which is developed to
understand, interpret the message accurately.
It does not require much of an effort to hear,
whereas Listening to be effective, takes much of
an effort and time on the part of a listener.
8. Listening ability varies according to
◦ Interest in the topic
◦ Importance of the information
◦ Length of the message
◦ Complexity of the message
◦ The delivery of the message
◦ Personal problems
◦ External distractions
9. Speaker Listener
◦ Language ◦ Perceptions
◦ Wordiness ◦ Preconceived
◦ Semantics notions/expectations
◦ Emotions ◦ Physical hearing
◦ Inflections problem
◦ Speed of thought
◦ Personal interests
◦ Emotions
◦ Attention span
◦ No active listening!
10. Steps involved in Effective Listening :
◦Hearing
◦Focusing on the message
◦Comprehending and interpreting
◦Analyzing and evaluating
◦Responding
◦Remembering
11. Concepts Related to Listening Ability
◦ Concentration
◦ Questioning
◦ Objectivity
◦ Note Taking
◦ Feedback
12. 1.Concentration
I. Motivation and Demotivation
II. Anticipate what the speaker will say next
III. Focus on the message
Iv. Avoid interruption, let the speaker finish first.
2.Questioning
Use of questioning is an effective listening strategy. It serves
two purposes:
I. message gets clarified
II. Speaker gets a positive feedback that a listener is involved.
13. 3. Objectivity
i. Minimize the impact of emotion-laden words
ii. Judge content, not delivery
iii. React fairly and sensibly
iv. Overcome distraction; internal as well as external
4. Note Taking
The usefulness of note taking depends on the situation.
5. Feedback
Feed is important in the listening process to that a
speaker knows that his/her message is understood.
14. Good Listeners Bad Listeners
Attending
◦ Attend to important ◦ May not hear what a
information person is saying
◦ Ready themselves ◦ Fidget in chairs, look out
mentally and physically the windows, and let
their minds wander
◦ Listen objectively ◦ Visibly react to
regardless of emotional emotional language
involvement ◦ Listen the same way
◦ Listen differently regardless of the type of
depending o situations material
15. Good Listeners Bad Listeners
Understanding Hear what is said but are
Assigned appropriate meaning unable to understand or
to what is said assign different meaning to the
Seek out apparent purpose, type of words
main points and supporting Ignore the way information is
information organized
Ask mental questions to Fail to anticipate coming
anticipate information information
Silently paraphrase to solidify Seldom or never mentally
understanding review the information
Seek out subtle meanings Ignore non-verbal cues
based on non-verbal cues
16. Good Listeners Bad Listeners
Remembering Interpret message accurately
Retain information but forget it
Repeat key information Assume they will remember
Take notes Rely on memory alone
Evaluating Understand but unable to
Listen critically weigh or consider it
Evaluate inferences
Accept information at face
value
Responding empathically
Pass of joy or hurt, change the
Provide supportive comforting
subject
statements
17. References
S. Pfeiffer, William George. (2007) Technical
Writing: A Practical Approach (Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice-Hall)
Bovee & Thill. (2008) Business Communication
Today (Prentice-Hall)
Smith-Worthington Darlene, Jefferson Sue.
(2008) Technical Writing for Success (Nelson
Education, Ltd. USA)