Ch.

3, Slide 1
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Listening
Ch. 3, Slide 2
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Oral Communication in the
Workplace
Private discussion
Telephone
Interviews
Trainings
Meetings
Seminars
Presentation
conferences
Gossiping
Talking in the
hallway
Ch. 3, Slide 3
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
The Listening Process
3. Remembering
2. Interpretation
1.Receiving
4. Evaluating
Ch. 3, Slide 4
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
The Listening Process
6. Acting
5. Responding
Ch. 3, Slide 5
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Listening Process Barriers
Mental Barriers

Prejudgment
Closed-mindedness
Selfishness
Selective Listening
Ch. 3, Slide 6
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Improving Listening in the Workplace
Prepare to listen
Control external and internal distractions.
Separate facts from opinions.
Identify important facts.
Ask clarifying questions.
Avoid pre-judgment.
Establish eye contact
Take notes to ensure retention.
Watch for signals
Give feedback
Listening in the Workplace
Ch. 3, Slide 7
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e

Defer judgment.
Pay attention to content (not to appearance, form, or
surface issues).
Listen completely.
Listen primarily for the main idea; avoid responding
to sidetracking issues.
Do only one thing at a time; listening is a full-time job.
Control your emotions.
Be silent for a moment after person finishes.
Make affirming statements and invite additional
comments.

Listening in the Workplace
Ch. 3, Slide 8
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Barriers to Listening
Pre-judgment
Uninteresting Topics
Speakers Delivery
External
Distractions
Selfishness
Listening for Facts
Selective Listening
Personal Bias
Language/Culture
Differences
Faking Attention

Ch. 3, Slide 9
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Most Irritating Listening
Habits
1. Rushing the speaker and making
him feel he is wasting the listeners
time.
2. Interrupting the speaker.
3. Not looking at the speaker.
4. Getting ahead of the speaker
(finishing her thoughts).
5. Not responding to the speakers
requests.
Ch. 3, Slide 10
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Most Irritating Listening
Habits
6. Showing interest in something
other than what the speaker is
saying.
7. Saying Yes, but . . ., as if the
listeners mind is made up.
8. Topping the speakers story with
That reminds me . . . or Thats
nothing; let me tell you about. . . .
Ch. 3, Slide 11
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Most Irritating Listening
Habits
9. Forgetting what was talked about
previously.
10. Asking too many questions about
details.
Based on International Listening Association <www.listen.org/pages/
irritating listening habits.html>, January 2001.