LISTENING SKILLS

Prof.Meenakshi Gupta Dept. of Humanities & Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology, Powai Mumbai

Basic Communication Skills Profile

________________________________________________ Communication Order Learned Extent Used Extent Taught

____________________________________________ Listening Speaking Reading Writing First Second Third Fourth First Second Third Fourth Fourth Third Second First

Meaning
     

Listening Is With The Mind Hearing With The Senses Listening Is Conscious. An Active Process Of Eliciting Information Ideas, Attitudes And Emotions Interpersonal, Oral Exchange

Fallacies about Listening

    
    

Listening is not my problem! Listening and hearing are the same Good readers are good listeners Smarter people are better listeners Listening improves with age
Learning not to listen Thinking about what we are going to say rather than listening to a speaker Talking when we should be listening Hearing what we expect to hear rather than what is actually said Not paying attention ( preoccupation, prejudice, self-centeredness, stero-type)

Listening skills are difficult to learn

Stages of the Listening Process

     

Hearing Focusing on the message Comprehending and interpreting Analyzing and Evaluating Responding Remembering

Types of Listening
 Informative Listening


 

Vocabulary Concentration Memory Attending Supporting Empathizing Presentation Perception Previous experience

 Relationship Listening


 

 Appreciative Listening


 

Types of Listening (Cont.)

 Critical Listening
  

Ethos Logos Pathos

 Discriminative Listening
  

Hearing Ability Awareness of Sound Structure Integration of non-verbal cues

Barriers to Active Listening

Environmental barriers Physiological barriers Psychological barriers Selective Listening Negative Listening Attitudes Personal Reactions Poor Motivation

  

   

How to Be an Effective Listener

 What You Think about Listening ?
     Understand the complexities of listening Prepare to listen Adjust to the situation Focus on ideas or key points Capitalize on the speed differential

 Organize material for learning

How to Be an Effective Listener (cont.)

 What You Feel about Listening ?
      Want to listen Delay judgment Admit your biases Dont tune out dry subjects Accept responsibility for understanding Encourage others to talk

How to Be an Effective Listener (cont.)

 What You Do about Listening ?
      Establish eye contact with the speaker Take notes effectively Be a physically involved listener Avoid negative mannerisms Exercise your listening muscles Follow the Golden Rule

Improving Listening Comprehension



Listening comprehension is the act of understanding an oral message It involves speech decoding, comprehending, and oral discourse analysis

Speech Decoding


Sound Perception and Recognition

(Recognising sounds and sound patterns accurately, recognising the way sounds combine to form syllables and utterances)

Speech Decoding (Cont..)



Word recognition ( Recognising words accurately, understanding the definitions of the words being use, recognising the way words are used un context, identifying attention signals)

Speech Decoding (Cont..)



Accent recognition ( recognise stress, identify pauses, hesitations )

Comprehending
Comprehending a verbal message involves the ability to: Identify the central theme, main ideas and supporting details; Concentrate and understand long speeches Identify the level of formality Deduce incomplete information Deduce unfamiliar vocabulary

Oral Discourse Analysis



  

Is the process of identifying relationships among different units within the speech or oral message: Critical skills Attitude analysis Inferential skills

Listening to structured talks



 

Pre-listening analysis-determining the purpose, knowing your speaker Predicting about the content of a verbal message Using background knowledge Intensive listening

Intensive Listening
1.

Listening to the introduction? What is the position, knowledge, background, experience of the speaker? What is his credibility? What is the overall purpose of the talk? What is the central idea or theme? What is the overall structure? What does the speaker intend to do? What are the main points of the talk?

Intensive listening (Cont )

2. Listening to the Body Contains the main message-pay attention Concentrate on verbal signposts Recognise main supporting details of the oral message Concentrate on visual aids

Intensive Listening ( Cont..)

3. Listening to the conclusion Understand the main themes of the verbal message Recognise the speaker`s focus of the talk Concentrate on what the speaker wants the listener`s to do, or remember

Signal Phrases
Purpose of the speaker Signal phrases * Introduces a topic Today, I`d like to talk about , What I am going to discuss is If we critically examine the situation.., The most significant point is I am sure you will agree with me.., I`d like to emphasise..

* Develops an idea

* Emphasises a point

Logical Connectors and Transitional Signals

Purpose of the speaker Adds a point compares contrasts Shows segmentation Exemplifies Logical connectors Moreover, in addition Similarly, likewise In contrast, However, Right, OK, And, Now, That`s all

In other words, For instance

Effective Note Making

 Note making is essential in college:
 For lectures, which are a highly condensed methods of passing on information  For reading, because what you don't write down, you don't remember

Effective Note Making (Cont.)

 Note making is a skill:
    Most people feel deficient It can be learned This takes understanding of what you're doing It takes practice, which involves effort

Effective Note Making (Cont.)

 Note making is difficult because:
     Spoken language is more diffuse than written Speaker's organization is not immediately apparent Immediate feedback seldom occurs Spoken language is quickly gone This makes analysis difficult

Five purposes for note making:

   

Provides a written record for review Provides a definite, limited learning task Forces you to pay attention Requires organization, and active effort on the part of the listener Listener must condense and rephrase, which aids understanding

Sequence
  

 

Listen and focus on meaning Evaluate what is being said Is it relevant to your purpose? What are the high points? Record the information Make use of it

Physical factors
 Seating
 Near the front and center - easier to see and hear  Avoid distractions - doorways, windows, glare; friends, foes

 Materials
 Loose leaf notebook: lies flat - organization and additions are easier  Two pens, wide-lined, easy-eye paper; use dividers  Course, date, and topic clearly labeled

Before taking notes - PREVIEW

    

Prepare yourself mentally - What do you need to get out of this? Review notes from last time and homework. Nail your attention down tight. Review the outline from your reading assignment Think through what has happened in the class to date Generate enthusiasm and interest

 Increased knowledge results in increased interest  A clear sense of purpose on your part will make the course content more relevant  Acting as if you are interested can help  Don't let the personality or mannerisms of a speaker put you off
 

Be ready to understand and remember Anticipate the next step and compare what you've guessed with what happens

Get Involved!


Tune-in, look, listen for clues:

 Tone or gesture of Professor  Repetition; cue words: "remember!"



Notice what conflicts with your current opinions Keep thinking...

 They are harder to understand and remember



 Look for emerging patterns  Write questions in margins to be answered later

While taking notes

 Don't try for a verbatim transcript
 


Get all of the main ideas Record some details. illustrations, implications, etc.

Leave plenty of wide space for later additions underscore or star major points Note speaker's organization of material
Organization aids memory Organization indicates gaps when they occur - you fill in later

 


Be accurate
Listen carefully to what is being said Pay attention to qualifying words like: sometimes, usually, rarely, etc. Notice signals that a change of direction is coming: but, however, on the other hand

  

While taking notes (Cont.)



Be an aggressive, not a passive, listener

Jot questions in your notes Do you believe what you're hearing? What do you believe? Seek out meanings. Look for implications beyond what is being said. Relate the material to your other classes and your life outside of school.

   


Develop a shorthand of your own

Jot down words or phrases; use contractions and abbreviations Leave out small service words, use symbols: +, =,&, ~)

 


Try to get the hang of listening and writing at the same time. It can be done
You may practice listening to the news on TV and taking notes

POST VIEW: Don't move - go over notes at once!

 Review and reword them as soon after class as

possible
        

Build review time into your schedule Don't just recopy or type without thought "Reminiscing" may provide forgotten material later Rewrite incomplete or skimpy parts in greater detail Fill in gaps as you remember points heard but not recorded Arrange with another student to compare notes Find answers to any questions remaining unanswered Write a brief summary of the class session Formulate several generalized test questions based on the material

POST VIEW: Don't move - go over notes at once! (Cont.)

 Use your notes as a learning tool

    

 

Review at spaced intervals it is more effective than the same effort spent cramming We forget 50% of what we hear immediately, two days later, another 25% is gone. But relearning is rapid if regular review is used. Compare the information in your notes with your own experience - don't swallow everything uncritically Don't reject what seems strange or incorrect. Check it out. Be willing to hold some seeming inconsistencies in your mind over a period of time. Build a good "thought map" of the ideas. Explain it to anyone who'll listen. Memorize that which must be memorized.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS KEITH DAVIS

         

Stop Talking. Put The Talker At Ease. Show Him That You Want To Listen. Remove Distractions. Empathize With Him. Be Patient. Hold Your Temper. Go Easy On Arguments And Criticism. Ask Questions. Stop Talking!

Thank You