Active Listening

The process of converting ides or thought into a

message with complete involvement.
Listener encourages the speaker to express his ideas
enthusiastically by showing interest in his speech.
It is a two way process where listener plays an active
role.
It leads to effective and sound Listener-Speaker
Relationship.
It focuses o the physical aspects of
speaker….appearance, expressions and body language.
Passive Listening
The process of only absorbing message with complete
involvement.
The speaker is discouraged by the expressions of
boredom on listener’s face.
It is a one way process where listener plays no role.
No scope for Listener-Speaker Relationship (Speakers
avoid such listeners).
It has nothing to do with physical aspects, as te
listeners do not want to understand the meaning.
 “If we were supposed to
talk more than listen, we
would have been given
two mouths and one ear.”
(Mark Twain)
Barriers
Physical Barriers
People – Related Barriers
Physiological Barriers
Psychological Barriers
Physical Barrier
Noise
Poor acoustics
Defective mechanical devices
Frequent interruptions
Uncomfortable seating arrangements
Uncomfortable environment
Message overload
Physiological Barriers
State of Health – State of health of the listener and
the speaker affects the listening ability. Fever, pain or
any other form of bodily discomfort makes it difficult
for a person to listen or speak comfortably.
Disability – Hearing deficiencies may lead to poor
listening. Similarly, speech disorders of the speaker
may make a speech incoherent to the listener.
Speaker’s accent may also make it difficult for the
listener to comprehend.
Wandering attention – Human mind can process
words at the rate of about 500 per minute, whereas a
speaker speaks at the rate of about 150 per minute. The
difference between the two leaves the listener with
sufficient time to let his mind wander.
Psychological Barrier
Being unsure of the speaker’s ability – Based on past
experience or inputs from sources, the listener may
have a preconceived notion of the speaker’s ability. He
may perceive the speaker to not be well informed, or to
be lacking in depth and ability. Hence the listener will
not listen to what the speaker has to say.
Personal anxiety – Sometimes the listener is
preoccupied with personal concerns and anxieties. This
makes it difficult to perceive what is being said by the
speaker
Attitude – The listener may be highly egocentric with
a “know it all attitude” and may not listen as he feels
that he already knows what the listener has to say.
Impatience – The listener may not have patience to
wait for the other person to finish what he has to say.
He may be intolerant or may be eager to add his own
points to the discussion. As a result, his desire to speak
overcomes his desire to listen, thus acting as a barrier.
Emotional blocks – Our deep seated beliefs in
certain ideas may make it difficult for us to listen to
ideas which go against our belief. We may hear such an
idea wrongly or it may get distorted in our mind to
match our perception or we may completely block it
off by not listening to it. Many a time, we block
something off completely because of painful
memories associated with it.
Tips foe being a Good Listener
Give your full attention on the person who is
speaking- Don't look out the window or at what else
is going on in the room.
Make sure your mind is focused- It can be easy to
let your mind wander if you think you know what the
person is going to say next, but you might be wrong! If
you feel your mind wandering, change the position of
your body and try to concentrate on the speaker's
words.
Let the speaker finish before you begin to talk-
Speakers appreciate having the chance to say
everything they would like to say without being
interrupted. When you interrupt, it looks like you
aren't listening, even if you really are.
Let yourself finish listening before you begin to
speak! You can't really listen if you are busy thinking
about what you want to say next.
Listen for main ideas-The main ideas are the most
important points the speaker wants to get across. They
may be mentioned at the start or end of a talk, and
repeated a number of times. Pay special attention to
statements that begin with phrases such as "My point
is..." or "The thing to remember is...“
Ask questions-If you are not sure you understood what
the speaker has said, just ask. For example, you might
say, "When you said that no two zebras are alike, did you
mean that the stripes are different on each one?"
Give feedback-Sit up straight and look directly at the
speaker. Now and then, nod to show that you
understand. At appropriate points you may also smile,
frown, laugh, or be silent. These are all ways to let the
speaker know that you are really listening. Remember,
you listen with your face as well as your ears!
DOs of Listening
Be mentally prepared to listen
Evaluate the speech not the speaker
Be unbiased to the speaker by depersonalizing your
feelings
Fight distractions by closing off sound sources  Be
open minded
Ask questions to clarify and not to overshadow
intelligence
Paraphrase from time to time
Send appropriate non-verbal signals time to time
DON’Ts of Listening
Not to pay undue emphasis on vocabulary as you can
use the context to understand the meaning
Not to pay too much attention to the accessories and
clothing of the speaker
Not to prepare your responses while the speaker is
speaking
Avoid preconceptions and prejudices
Not to get distracted by outside influences
Not to interrupt too often
Not to show boredom