14 Listening with a Purpose “I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening...

14

Listening with a Purpose

“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.”

― Ernest Hemingway,American author and winner

of the Nobel Prize in Literature

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

After completing the chapter, you will be able to:

• Differentiate between hearing and listening.• Identify the criteria for becoming an active

listener.• Demonstrate how to apply active listening in

formal situations.



Listening Is a Skill

• Hearing is a physical process– sound waves reach your ears– your ears send signals to your brain

• Listening is an intellectual process– listening combines hearing with evaluating



• Types of listening– Passive listening is casually listening to the

speaker.– Active listening is fully participating as you

process what other people say.


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• Active listening– listening for specific information

• identify your purpose and adapt your listening behavior accordingly

• prepare in advance and decide what information you hope to take away with you

• ask questions and prepare for – a complex response (one that is hard to

understand)– an evasive response (one that avoids giving you

a direct answer)




• Actively listening to requests– be sure you understand the what, where,

when, why, and how– ask follow-up questions to clarify– make comments that summarize what you are

asked to do– take notes for details– summarize and write or think through all of

the main points you just heard




• Actively listening to directions– use prior knowledge—experience and

information you already possess—to relate your new knowledge you will receive

– evaluate and summarize your notes– ask follow-up questions– give feedback




• Listening to persuasive talk– What is in it for the speaker?– Whom does the speaker represent?– What does the speaker want you to do or

believe?• statements may be literal (speaker means

exactly what is said)• statements may inferential (you draw a

conclusion from what is said)

– What are the pros and cons on this issue?




• Identifying types of active listening– Informative—need to learn specific

information or instructions– Evaluative listening—need to determine the

quality or validity of what is being said– Empathetic listening—attempt to put yourself

in the speaker’s place and understand how he or she feels

– Reflective listening—consider what the speaker says; all active listening involves reflective listening




Listening is a Skill1.What is the difference between hearing

and listening?

2.What is the difference between passive listening and active listening?



Becoming an Active Listener

• Recognize the speaker’s purpose. Listen for bias, which is a prejudice.

• Use prior knowledge. Be aware of skepticism, which means you have a degree of doubt.– can be beneficial so you do not take things on

faith

• Evaluate what you hear.• Note body language and other nonverbal cues,

which can also help understand the meaning of the message.

• Consider personality of speaker.• Evaluate the message.



• Do the speaker’s facts support what you have heard, read, or seen from other sources?

• Do the speaker’s facts agree with or contradict facts earlier presented by the same speaker?

• Do the speaker’s conclusions agree with your experience?

• Do the speaker’s suggestions and recommendations have substance?

• Does the speaker meet the test of common sense?

(continued)

Tips for Evaluating What You Hear



• Once you begin evaluating what you hear by relating old information to new, your evaluations will take various forms:– You recognize misunderstandings or deceptions.

He isn’t really answering the question, is he?He knows a lot about our trading relationship with

Asian countries, but hasn’t said one word about Europe.

– You recognize discrepancies between old information and new.

Did she say 20 percent? I’ve heard estimates much, much higher. I wonder which number is accurate.

Wait a minute. Didn’t he just say the opposite of that last week? (continued)




– You check your own understanding.Oh, I get it. To speed up the approval process, from now on I

could…I guess this means the budget cut will

affect us sooner rather than later.

– You clarify information.Oh, I thought she said 70 before. She must have said 17.

That graph sure helps. Now I see the sales growth she’s talking about.

– You recognize similarities between old and new information.

Hmm, this agrees with what I read yesterday in the newspaper. The problems he’s reporting about the project are

just like those that surfaced on the earlier project.




Becoming an Active Listener1.What is bias?

2.How can skepticism be useful to the listening process?

3.What can be used in addition to the words to understand the meaning of a message?



Active Listening in Formal Situations

• Indicate you are paying attention.– show attention– take notes; only on what is meaningful

• Tips for taking good notes:– Be selective. Write down only what is important

or you may not remember.– Organize your notes as you write, if possible. Let

the format of your notes correspond to the speaker’s message.

– Use abbreviations and symbols. If the notes are for you only, cut as many corners as you like as long as the notes remain useful.(continued)




– Avoid noting information that appears in a handout. Highlight or put a check mark in the margin of the hand out to remind yourself of key points.

– Write down the main point of a visual aid. If it contains data you need later, write down the source or ask the speaker afterward for a copy of the graphic.

– Often speakers summarize the most important points in the closing. This is a good time to be listening carefully with pen ready, if necessary.




• Give feedback– friendly questions, not unfriendly questions– make comments

• Arrive early• Sit in the

front




• Do not ask unfriendly questions.



• Fight distractions and barriers– Barriers are internal or external.– Fight external distractions.– Listen actively.– Be open-minded without bias.– Be flexible.– Be sincere.– Stay interested; do not multitask.– Be attentive.




Active Listening in Formal Situations1.In face-to-face communication, how can you

indicate you are paying attention without saying anything?

2.When taking notes, which points should you write down?

3.What are the two best ways of providing feedback?

4.What are the two ways to classify barriers to listening?



• Hearing is the physical process of sound

waves being processed by the brain.• You can become an active listener with

practice.• Formal business situations require extra

attention to show you are an active listener.

14 Listening with a Purpose “I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening...

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