UNIT-2

Listening and Speaking Skills

Active Listening: Meaning and Art of Listening

Most of people believe that to become a good communicator, they have to focus on becoming
great speakers, but listening is just as important as speaking in the communication process. If
somebody listens with his mind, heart, and imagination, it means he is an active listener.

The art of listening refers to the skill of attentively and actively engaging with what someone
else is saying, with the intention of fully understanding their message. It goes beyond merely
hearing words; it involves being mentally and emotionally present, showing empathy, and
responding appropriately.

Hearing is simply the physical act of detecting sounds. There is a difference between “listening
and waiting for your turn to speak.” This means that true listening involves fully concentrating
on what‟s being said, rather than just waiting for your chance to talk.

 Listening is the ability to receive messages in the communication process accurately.

 It is not the same as hearing
 It is a cognitive act (for knowledge); hearing is a physical act(which can‟t be avoided).
 A good listener will also listen what is left unsaid or only partially said.
 Basic difference between hearing and listening is as follows:
Hearing listening

It is an activity of receiving sound waves It is the activity of hearing sound waves

through the ear. and then analyzing and unde rstanding it.
It is ability. It is a skill.
It happens at subconscious level. It happens at conscious level.
It is an involuntary act. It is a voluntary skill
It does not require concentration. It requires concentration.
It involves physiology (ears). It involves psychology also (active brain).
Often we listen to the words without truly grasping the meaning behind them. It is usually
because we are focused on our own internal dialogue rather than what the speaker is trying to
convey. We all have so much in our brains that it becomes difficult to keep quite our minds long
enough to really listen to the other person. Or, we may have a pre-conceived bias against either
the speaker or the topic that shuts our ears to what is being said.

Being a good listener is not always easy. Studies have shown that an average person can
remember only 50% of what was heard, straight after he has heard it. Another study has shown
that only 10% of the initial message communicated is retained after 3 days. The reason for these
shocking stats is that most of us think of listening as a passive process that requires no effort. But
actually it is an active act which employs attention of mind as well.

The art of listening involves active listening, empathy, patience, and clarification, while also being
mindful of non-verbal cues and providing appropriate feedback. It requires focusing on the speaker,
understanding their emotions, and ensuring clear communication through thoughtful responses. This skill
enhances relationships and prevents misunderstandings in both personal and professional contexts.

Traits or signs of active listening:

 Make Appropriate Facial Expression (smile, eye contact, nodding)
 Ask Questions (It makes the speaker feel that you are interested in him)
 Don’t Interrupt (let the person complete his thoughts before asking questions)
 Paraphrase (summarize or restate in your own words, what the speaker has said)
 Mirroring (Mirroring involves repeating key phrases back to the speaker ("I'm really upset that
I missed my bus this morning." "You missed your bus.") Paraphrasing involves repeating a
rephrased version of what they've said ("I'm really upset I missed my bus this morning." "You
were upset about being late."))
 Reflection (show understanding through mild response like „hmm‟ „oh‟ „really‟, „ok‟,
„umm‟, etc.)
 Posture (tilting your head, crossing arms, etc )

How to become an Active Listener: Below are given some characteristics to be followed to
become an active listener:

 Maintain eye contact – Show that you're engaged through non-verbal cues.
 Avoid interrupting – Let the speaker finish before responding.
 Ask clarifying questions – in order to clarify your doubts and to understand, not to
reply.
 Paraphrase what you hear – Summarize to confirm understanding.
 Observe body language – Pay attention to non-verbal signals to get more information.
  Give appropriate feedback – Nod, smile, or offer verbal acknowledgment.
 Be patient – Allow the speaker to express their thoughts fully.
 Stay open-minded – Listen without judgment or preconceptions.
 Ready to respond
 Respond thoughtfully – Reflect on what was said before replying.
 Stay focused- prone towards understanding the central point of something.
 Not being an attention seeker- not try to take attention from the speaker only help when
the speaker is stuck somewhere.

Below are given the advice to be followe d as well:

 Concentrate on the matter being said not on how the speaker is looking.
 Repeat the key ideas to yourself in order to retain properly.
 Try to relate speaker‟s remarks to your personal background & experiences.
 Do not let your mind wander away from what the speaker is saying. Be determined. Do
not think of the pleasant and unpleasant experiences of your own while listening.

Listening Modes
Disengaged Listening Active Listening
Competitive listening Passive Listening

Listening is the process of receiving and interpreting sound signals received from the sender.
Listening can be developed by practicing regularly. Various methods of listening are also called
modes of listening.

Modes of Key
Listening Description Characteristics Example Mostly Used In

Disengaged The listener is - Lack of A student in a Boring lectures,

Listening physically present but attention lecture scrolling long meetings,
mentally distant, - No response through their casual
showing little interest or minimal phone, not conversations
in what the speaker is engagement absorbing the
saying. - Easily material.
distracted or
disinterested
Competitive The listener is more - Interrupts During a debate, a Debates,
Listening focused on their own frequently person interrupts negotiations,
ideas or thoughts, often - Focused on before the other high-stakes
interrupting or rebuttal finishes speaking to meetings
preparing to respond - May distort push their own
rather than truly the speaker's argument.
listening to the speaker. message

Active The listener is fully - Full attention A manager listens Business

Listening engaged, paying - Verbal and attentively during a meetings,
attention to the speaker, non-verbal meeting, nodding, counseling,
asking questions, and responses (e.g., asking clarifying conflict
providing feedback to nodding, eye questions, and resolution,
ensure they understand contact) summarizing what education
the message. - Clarifies and was said.
paraphrases
message

Passive The listener is quiet and - No Listening to a Casual listening

Listening allows the speaker to interruptions podcast while (e.g., podcasts,
speak without - Few or no driving without lectures), radio
interruptions but responses engaging or shows
doesn‟t actively engage - May absorb responding to the
or offer feedback to information but content.
confirm understanding. offers no
confirmation of
understanding

Difference between Passive and Disengaged Modes of Listening:

Passive Listening Disengaged Listening

 Passive listening involves merely  Disengaged listening entails a

hearing without active engagement or deliberate withdrawal of attention or
focused attention. interest from the speaker or subject-
matter.

 The listener doesn‟t give feedback.  The listener doesn‟t listen.

 No query from the listener.  The listener is busy with his thoughts.
Active Listening Passive Listening

-The listener is very active. -The listener is not active.

-Doubts and inquiries are asked. -No queries from the listener.
-The listener gives proper feedback to the -The listener does not give feedback
speaker

Difference between Active and Passive Modes of Listening:

TYPES OF LISTENING

1. Informational Listening
2. Biased Listening
3. Critical Listening
4. Sympathetic Listening
5. Empathetic Listening
6. Appreciative Listening
7. Deliberative Listening
Type of Listening Description Simple Example

Informational Listening Listening with the goal of Example: Listening to a

understanding and retaining professor explain a new concept
information. Often used in in class to understand the
lectures, meetings, or when material.
receiving instructions.

Biased Listening Listening with preconceptions Example: During a debate,

or selective attention to confirm someone only hears arguments
one‟s beliefs, ignoring parts that that support their stance while
don't fit one's view. ignoring the opposing
viewpoint.

Critical Listening Listening to evaluate or analyze Example: Listening to a

the content being heard, often political candidate‟s speech to
used to make decisions or form determine if their policies align
judgments. with your values.

Sympathetic Listening Listening to show concern or Example: Listening to a friend

compassion, usually for who is upset about a bad day
emotional support. and offering comforting words,
even if no advice is given.

Empathetic Listening Listening to understand Example: Listening to a

someone‟s feelings or colleague explain the stress
perspective deeply, often putting they're feeling at work and
oneself in their shoes. genuinely trying to understand
how they feel and why.

Appreciative Listening Listening for enjoyment or Example: Listening to music, a

pleasure, often without any podcast, or an audiobook that
critical assessment. you enjoy for relaxation or
entertainment.

Deliberative Listening Listening carefully to consider Example: Listening to a sales

evidence, arguments, and pitch from a company and
options before making a weighing the pros and cons
decision. before deciding whether to
purchase their product or
service.