Listening Skills Mcaii.docx

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LISTENING SKILLS 

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Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process. Listening is crucial for all effective communication. Without the ability to listen effectively, messages are easily misunderstood, which results in communication breakdown and the sender of the messages can easily become frustrated or irritated. Good listening skills can lead to better customer satisfaction, greater productivity with fewer mistakes, and increased sharing of information that, in turn, can lead to more creative and innovative work. (Interesting fact: Listening is so important that many top employers provide listening skills training for their employees) Good listening skills also have benefits in one’s personal life including a greater number of friends and social network, self-esteem and confidence, higher grades in academic work, and even better health and general well-being. (Interesting fact: Studies have shown that speaking raises blood pressure whereas attentive listening can bring it down) HEARING is not the same as LISTENING. Hearing refers to the sounds that enter one’s ears. It is a physical process that happens automatically. Listening, however, requires focus and concentrated effort, both mental and sometimes physical as well. Listening means paying attention not only to the story/message, but also how it is told, the use of language and voice, and how the other person uses his or her body. In other words, it means being aware of both verbal and non-verbal messages. Listening is not a passive process. In fact, the listener is engaged in the process as the speaker. The process of being fully involved in listening is known as active listening. Often one tends to formulate ways to respond while listening. This is not a function of listening. Instead, the focus should be on what is being said and how it is being said in order to understand the speaker completely.

Why is listening very important? (The purpose of listening)        

To specifically focus on the messages being communicated, avoiding distractions and preconceptions. To gain a full and accurate understanding of the speaker’s ideas and points of view. To critically assess what is being said. To observe the non-verbal signals or clues that accompany the message to enhance understanding. To show interest, concern and concentration. To encourage the speaker to communicate fully, openly and honestly. To develop a selflessness approach, i.e., putting the speaker first. To arrive at a shared and agreed understanding and acceptance of views from both sides (listener and speaker).

WAYS TO ACHIEVE EFFECTIVE LISTENING:

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Face the speaker and maintain eye contact: Facing the speaker and maintaining eye contact enable the listener to give undivided attention to him/her and also enables the listener to observe facial expressions and boy language as these factors can communicate as much as spoken language.

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Be attentive but relaxed: It is essential to mentally filter distractions like background noise or activity as well as the speaker’s accent or mannerisms in cases where they reach the point of distraction. The listener should also not allow personal thoughts, feelings, or biases to become distractions. Also, one must remember to stay relaxed while being attentive at the same time as a show of being overly attentive may distract the speaker.

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Do not interrupt and impose solutions: It is crucial to refrain from interrupting since doing so will distract the speaker and also because it is considered rude. If any comment or question is to be made, it is ideal to wait for the speaker to pause. Also, the listener must not compel the speaker to accept unsolicited advice.

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Ask questions only to ensure understanding: While the speaker is narrating an incident and introduces a new element in the story, the listener may, sometimes, feel tempted to ask questions about it. However, he/she must wait till the speaker finishes the narration.

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Practice active listening: The listener may ask the speaker to slow down or repeat when the listener does not understand or want to be certain about what has been heard. The listener should also repeat back what he/she thinks has been heard in order to avoid leaving a gap between what he/she thinks has been heard and what the speaker actually intended to say. Active listening skills involve using a lot of clarifications in order to ensure understanding.

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Listen for key words: It is important to pay attention to the words the speaker emphasises in order to recognise the main point of the message. For example, by stressing the word ‘time’ in “Let’s talk about the TIME we will meet tomorrow…” the speaker lets the listener know that the time of tomorrow’s appointment is the main point. Hence, it is crucial to pay attention to what the speaker stresses on.

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Listen for phrases or markers: In formal lectures, the speaker usually marks main points with key phrases such as “The main point is…” or “On the other hand, some people take an opposing standpoint…” However, even in everyday conversation, the speaker often uses less formal markers such as “I guess what I’m trying to say is…” or “What I mean is…” These markers are often used before a main point and, hence, act as clues to indicate the important points of the message. Additionally, the listenr must also pay attention to phrases commonly used phrases such as “first of all”, moving on to”, “in summary”, “in other words”, “to illustrate this”, etc. so that the listener will be able to follow the speech/message and organise its content.

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Practice active thinking: The listener should actively think about what the speaker is saying. This can be done by analysing and paraphrasing in the listener’s mind the information that has been shared. This is a crucial skill that helps in absorbing and remembering content.

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Anticipate or predict content: Anticipating or predicting what the speaker has to say helps in understanding the message better since it allows the listener’s mind to be more open to the message. However, care must be taken not to jump to conclusions. The listener must listen to the entire content first and should not confuse the actual message with what the listener thinks the speaker will say.

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Give the speaker regular feedback: Giving feedback at regular intervals is a positive sign that shows that the listener is paying attention to the content of the message. It also shows that the listener understands the point of the message or the feelings of the speaker. Feedback can include comments, nods, facial expressions, and backchanneling, i.e., using language to show interest or comprehension in a conversation. This includes phrasal backchannels (e.g. “right”, “I see”, “Is it?”, etc.) and non-lexical backchannels (e.g. “uh-huh”, “hmmm”, etc.).

HEAR – Halt, Engage, Anticipate, Replay