Unit – 5
Listening
Definition
The process of listening is receiving a language through the ears. It involves the identification of the sounds of speech and processing them into words and sentences. Listening is the ability to precisely receive and interpret messages in the communication process.
Listening is one of the most important factors to all effective communication. Without effective listening ability, messages may be easily misunderstood. Therefore, as a result, sometimes communication breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated.
While listening, we use our ears to receive individual sounds (letters, stress, rhythm and pauses) and our brain converts these into messages that mean something to us.
Listening, like any other communication skill such as reading, writing or speaking requires focus and attention. It is a skill that some people need to work at harder than others. People who have difficulty concentrating are typically poor listeners. Listening in a second language requires even greater focus.
Purposes of Listening Skills
It is often contested that speaking as a skill is more important than listening which is a common misconception. Listening is as important a skill as speaking if not more, as it is only by listening one can learn proper pronunciation and intonation of words which allows him to speak fluently.
Oral language skills including listening comprehension also are important for writing development. Although oral language skills aren't explicitly laid out in the developmental models of writing, they are essential component skills as writing requires generation of ideas, which then need to be translated into oral language.
Below are some areas where listening skills can prove to be extremely important:
Academic Purpose
When one focuses on the material presented in a classroom, they will be able to identify not only the words used in a lecture but their emphasis and their more complex meanings. They will take better notes, and will more accurately remember the instructor’s claims, information, and conclusions. Many times, instructors provide oral cues about what is likely to appear in an examination, specific expectations for assignments and instructions on specific study material, hence active listening can be extremely beneficial.
Social Purpose
In a social setting, if a person genuinely listens to other people, they are often considered to be a good friend. Most people prefer "good listeners" over people who won't stop giving advice without even listening to a word the speaker is saying. Many people just wait for their turn to speak instead of trying to understand what someone is saying to them. Therefore, listening skills also help with one's social relationships.
Perceptual Purpose
A person who has the ability to listen properly is often considered an intelligent person. It is essential to let someone finish their thoughts before giving voice to one's own opinions. Listening silently while someone is speaking gives them a sign that they are being heard. This creates an image of a smart individual in the mind of the speaker.
Important for Public Speaking
When one listen's well to others without interrupting, they begin gathering up on more impressive ways to organize and present arguments. Which helps one understand how people think and what are the factors that influence them. While speaking publicly this can be helpful as one can assume how people will react to a certain argument. This also helps in connecting with people in general and potentially influencing them.
Types of Listening
There are a few different methods of effective listening, and each one is suited to specific circumstances. Here are descriptions of the main types of listening and the scenarios in which you would be likely to use them:
- Discriminative listening:
Discriminative listening is the first form of listening humans develop as babies. This type of listening does not focus on words but rather the tone of voice and other subtleties of sound to understand meaning and intention. Babies don’t understand words, but they rely on their discriminative listening to understand who is speaking and what mood is being communicated. As an adult, you may find yourself relying on discriminative listening when people around you are speaking a foreign language that you don’t understand. Though you may lack the language skills to understand the words being spoken, you can rely on the tone of voice and inflection to derive a vague meaning. When you can only rely on discriminative listening, you may turn to visual stimuli. The mannerisms, facial expressions, and body language of a speaker help clue you in to the speaker’s message.
2. Comprehensive listening:
Comprehensive listening is the next level of critical listening skills that humans usually develop in early childhood. Comprehensive listening requires language skills and a grasp of basic vocabulary to understand what is being communicated through by the speaker. Comprehensive listening covers most other forms of listening that critical listeners utilize. Through the course of their day-to-day lives, people use comprehensive listening paired with verbal cues to understand what messages are being communicated to them.
3. Informational listening:
Informational listening (or informative listening) is the type of listening practices during the process of learning. Informational listening builds upon basic comprehensive listening and requires a high level of concentration and engagement to understand new concepts and comprehend technical jargon. Informational listening has less to do with the emotional content of what is being communicated and more to do with critical thinking and following a logical sequence as it is communicated. When you try to learn important skills that are being taught to you, it’s vital that you pay attention and use informational listening skills.
4. Critical listening:
Critical listening is the style of listening people use when they are trying to analyse and judge complex information that is being communicated to them. You might use critical listening if you’re problem-solving on the job and trying to decide if you agree with a proposal being floated by one of your co-workers. The word “critical” has multiple meanings, but in this case it simply means that you are evaluating information—not necessarily passing judgment.
5. Biased listening:
Biased listening (or selective listening) is a type of selective listening where the listener only tries to understand what they want to hear. Biased listening is different from critical listening because the listener is not actually listening to the speaker's opinions but instead trying to confirm their own opinions. People generally do not realize that they are using a biased listening process. Biased listening can lead to a falsification of facts in the mind of a listener who is not in harmony with to what a speaker intends to communicate.
6. Sympathetic listening:
Sympathetic listening is an emotionally-driven type of relationship listening, wherein a listener processes the feelings and emotions of a speaker and tries to provide support and understanding in return. You might use sympathetic listening when a child tells you about trouble they had at school. In this case sympathetic listening is used to make the child feel heard and provide them with comfort and support. Sympathetic is useful in trying to establish a deep connection with another person, especially when that person is experiencing adversity.
7. Therapeutic listening and empathetic listening:
Therapeutic or empathetic listening is a listening process wherein a listener tries to understand the point of view of a speaker and imagines themselves directly in the speaker’s position. Empathetic listening (sometimes referred to as empathic listening) goes a step further than sympathetic listening in that an empathic listener will relate to the speaker’s experience as if it were their own.
Strategies to Improve Listening
There are two ways in which a person can listen to something being said to them – active and passive. Passive listening is listening without giving the speaker your full attention. Passive listening is like not listening at all therefore one must always give the speaker their full attention and practice active listening in order to fully grasp the meaning of what the speaker wants to say.
Below are some ways in which one can improve their listening comprehension skills:
- Listening to Podcasts and Audio Books
One can start listening to podcasts or audio books with comprehensible difficulty level, meaning the ones which one can already understand 60-80%. This is necessary as listening to material far above one’s skill level will only leave them dazed and confused.
2. Listening to the Appropriate Material
Listening to what one enjoys is also important. It would build up motivation to continue exercising their listening skills. If you are interested in a particular genre of a book or a particular speaker then try listening to them first as they would be able to keep you more interested and engaged in the subject.
3. Entertainment is a Good Source of Learning
One should start watching English content beginning with short clips and move on to full movies and shows in English along with subtitles. This will help them get familiar with native pronunciation and syntax of different kinds of sentences. While watching with subtitles one should always avoid reading the subtitles beforehand and should read them as the words are being spoken.
4. Listen and Re-listen
Native English is fast spoken. Therefore, it is necessary to acquaint oneself with different speeds in spoken English. To do this, one should listen and re-listen the same material at different speeds while trying to focus on the different sounds, words and their meanings.
5. Taking Notes
When listening to an audio, it is often helpful to take notes.
While practicing listening, the following steps will help to understand the content more clearly:
Step 1: Write down the topic of the audio
Step 2: If there are multiple speakers, their names are to be written down (e.g. Speaker 1, Speaker 2)
Step 3: Write down the crux of what each speaker is trying to convey. It is even better to use points for their central ideas.
Step 4: If you frequently hear a word you do not understand, try to write it down so you can look it up later
Step 5: If there's a word or sentence you find interesting, write it down so that you can practice using it in your own conversations.
6. Conversing with Native Speakers
If possible, try talking to native speakers as they will have good pronunciation and intonation. At first it would be difficult to understand because of their accents and word stress but with more practice you will be able to successfully communicate with them. Conversing also has another additional advantage, it will not only help with your listening comprehension but will also help you learn how to speak the language with proper pronunciation.
From communicating with business partners to understanding market trends, good listening skills can give you a competitive advantage. The ability to understand the needs and requests of others can be easier when you practice active listening.
The most skilled listeners offer their complete attention, carefully process what they hear and respond empathetically. They also tend to be open-minded as they listen. As you develop your listening skills, you’ll find that you can participate more fully in conversations and offer more effective feedback.
Below are the main characteristics of effective listening:
1. Maintaining Eye Contact
When you are listening to someone talk, you should avoid looking out a window, texting or scrolling through your phone, or scanning a computer screen. Limit any unnecessary distractions, provide the speaker with your undivided attention and make an effort to look at them. This provides them with a nonverbal cue that you are interested in what they are saying, which encourages them to continue expressing themselves.
Consider that the speaker may not look at you because they might be shy, feel uncertain, or their culture may not use direct eye contact for communication. You should continue to face the speaker even if they do not look at you.
2. Visualizing
Try to conjure up mental images of what the speaker is talking about while you are listening to help retain information. This may be a literal picture or other concepts that relate to the topic. This will help you to remember keywords and phrases when you listen for long periods. Visualizing what the speaker is saying will also help you to not have to prepare for what to say next.
If you happen to lose focus, make sure to immediately refocus.
3. Limiting judgments
Listen without criticizing the speaker in your mind while they talk. Even if the message causes you agitation or alarm, try to avoid thinking about negative or judgmental comments because this compromises your ability to listen. You also want to listen with an open mind and understand that the person is giving you their perspective. You may realize that they make more sense as they continue to talk to you, and you won't know the full story without listening.
4. Eliminating distractions
If possible, remove any distractions from the area. If you’re at your desk, put paperwork away and close notebooks. Dim the screen on your computer or laptop to prevent yourself from staring at the screen or becoming distracted by incoming emails. Turn down the sound so you won’t hear alerts during your conversation.
Phones can be one of the biggest causes of distraction. To make sure you can maintain full focus, keep your phone on silent and put it in an area where you can’t see it or reach it easily.
If you’re attending a scheduled meeting, make sure you find a quiet room or space. Close the door to limit noise and external distractions. Try to make the area as comfortable as possible to enable focused listening.
5. Building a strong rapport
To encourage your conversation partner to share as much as possible, make the other person as comfortable as possible. In addition to removing distractions and focusing your attention on the other person, try subtly mirroring your conversation partner’s movements. Adopt a similar posture and use comparable body language as you listen. Reflect their facial expressions to indicate that you understand what they’re saying.
Rather than making your gestures and body language too similar to your conversation partner, make sure they reflect the other person’s mood. You’ll build a rapport with your conversation partner and establish trust, both of which are essential for being a good listener. You’ll also respond with empathy, which can open up lines of communication and help the conversation flow more naturally.
6. Non-Interruption
Everyone speaks and processes information at different rates. If someone is delivering their message slowly, try to cultivate patience and wait for them to finish before trying to rush them along by guessing the next thing they are going to say or replying before they have finished talking. Interrupting sends the wrong message to the speaker. It may suggest that what you have to say is more important, that you don't care about what they are saying or that the conversation is a competition.
It is also important to refrain from offering solutions. Most often people just want you to listen. However, if you have a brilliant idea, you may consider asking if you can share your ideas before you offer your solution.
7. Waiting for Pauses
You may not understand everything someone says to you. It is best to wait until they pause to ask them to back up and provide clarification for the topic or phrase you misunderstood.
8. Asking Questions
Asking clarifying questions helps to keep the conversation on topic. You only want to ask questions that pertain to your understanding rather than ask a question about something that is not related to the main idea the speaker is trying to get across. When you ask clarifying questions without interrupting, it shows that you are listening, paying attention and willing to discuss things further.
9. Empathizing
Empathy is essential to effective listening. You should mirror the emotions the speaker has. For instance, if their face conveys sadness or joy then your facial expressions and words should also convey similar emotions. Empathizing with the speaker takes concentration and expends energy, but it allows for open communication and establishes relationships.
10. Non-Verbal Ques
Most of the communication that takes place between individuals is nonverbal. You can learn a great deal about someone through their body language and tone of voice when they are communicating with you. It is easy to detect boredom, enthusiasm or irritation on someone's face when they talk depending on their eyes, mouth and position of their shoulders. Therefore, listening also includes paying attention to nonverbal cues. It helps you to make inferences based on what a person actually means when they are talking to you.
11. Providing Feedback
Feedback can be verbal and nonverbal. You can use verbal feedback by saying things like, "I understand," "that must be difficult," or "okay." You can use nonverbal cues such as nodding your head and using appropriate facial expressions.
The goal is to send signals to the speaker so they know that you are actively listening. In a situation where someone is giving you tasks, make sure to repeat the task list back to the speaker so they know you understand what you are supposed to do. Writing down what they say also shows attentiveness.
12. Practicing
You can practice listening by being aware of what you do when someone is talking to you. Do this by writing down what you heard, understood and acknowledged after an in-person interaction with someone, or listen to audiobooks or podcasts without any text in front of you. Try listening to no more than four-minute clips and replay them to see how much information you are able to retain. This will help you to become more aware of your role as a receiver of information and it can enhance your overall communication skills.
Barriers to Listening
Below are some barriers to effective listening:
1. Ambiguity in the mind of the sender about the message.
2. Inability to convey the message as per the need and level of the receiver.
3. Inappropriate use of medium to convey the message.
4. Lack of understanding about the cultural differences of the listener.
5. Lack of the interest or inattentiveness of the receiver.
6. Listening with preconceived ideas or a prejudiced mindset.
7. Physical discomfort in terms of seating arrangements, hunger, thirst or nature’s call.
8. Noise e.g. Vehicles or murmur among the audience.
The types of barriers to effective listening can be classified as follows:
- Physical Barriers
- Psychological Barriers
- Linguistic Barrier
- Cultural Barriers
- Environmental Barrier
Physical Barriers: The physical conditions of the listener can affect concentration and restrict the amount of information taken on. For example: 1. Headache 2. Hearing impairment 3. Tiredness 4. Discomfort, pain, illness
Psychological Barriers: Emotional states which are brought to the communications or result from it can come between what is being said and effective listening and understanding. For example: 1. Own Anxiety 2. Anger 3. Frustration – inability to put across ideas
Cultural Barriers- Different cultures possess different norms of social interactions and communication. Something deemed appropriate in one culture might not be the same in another. Body language and gestures play a vital role in non-verbal communication which might suffer due to cultural differences.
Linguistic Barriers: Linguistic barriers derive from the speaker and make it difficult for them to be listened to. They can be summarized as follow:
- Jargon or Specialist language
- Monotonous voice
- Inappropriate tone
- Hesitant manner
- Badly organized material
- Complex sentences
- Complex vocabulary
Environmental Barriers: The following, if encountered, can make us switch off from what is being said, to allow our minds to temporarily concentrate on our surroundings:
- The room too hot or too cold.
- The lighting too bright or too dim.
- Uncomfortable seating
- Smells
- Infrastructure
- Noise
How to Overcome the Barriers of Listening
Below are some useful techniques for overcoming listening barriers:
1. Minimize Distractions
To avoid getting distracted, make sure you are physically facing the speaker and attempt to make frequent eye contact with them while they are speaking. Make sure you are seated or standing comfortably but appropriately so you can remain engaged. Put away your cell phone or any other pieces of technology that could become a distraction. The speaker will appreciate the gesture you have made to show them that they have your undivided attention.
2. Prioritize Listening Over Speaking
If you think you might be an excessive talker, try to practice self-control in conversation. Give the other person room to speak. During any conversation with a co-worker, wait until they’re finished speaking before you respond to show respect for what they’re saying. Finally, observe your listeners’ reactions as you talk. If you notice signs of distraction in someone you are speaking with, consider asking questions to encourage them to talk more and direct their focus back on the conversation.
3. Reduce Outside Noise
Minimize sound in your environment that could be distracting or make it more challenging to hear before beginning a conversation. A noisy environment can create distractions for both listeners and speakers, resulting in possible disruptions to conversations. Turn off mobile devices or place them on silent to minimize noise. Plan to hold important conversations in a place that you know will be quiet. It is often better to politely ask them to move elsewhere or keep the noise down, if someone is talking loudly outside your office or making other distracting noises.
4. Practice Reflecting Instead of Deflecting
To bond with your conversation partner or show them you’re engaged, you may feel eager to share your personal experiences when listening. A better approach to this typically involves merely listening and providing responses that focus on the other person’s situation. This shows that you’re genuinely invested in their side of the conversation.
Keep deflecting to a minimum and try reflecting to listen effectively. Reflecting involves paraphrasing back to the speaker what they have said. To accomplish that you may use language like, “What I am hearing from you is…” or “It sounds frustrating that that happened to you.” Reflecting could also involve asking questions based on what you have heard, such as “What did you do after he said that?” or “How did that make you feel?”
Reflecting assures your listener that you are paying close attention, it will also help to correct any possible misunderstandings. Reflecting allows the other person to correct what you may have misheard.
5. Ask Questions
Asking questions is an effective listening technique. Focus on asking questions based on what the speaker has already told you and are designed to elicit more information. The most significant questions are non-judgmental and flow directly from something the speaker has recently said.
6. Listen Fully Before Giving Advice
You may sometimes feel the temptation to offer advice after someone shares a problem or concern with you, especially if you want to help them solve that problem. However, you should not give advice unless the speaker specifically asks for it. People often share concerns simply to build bonds with friends, colleagues or to make a co-worker aware of a problem.
If you want to share advice, think first about whether the speaker is truly soliciting advice or just looking for a way to vent. Consider offering empathy instead of advice with responses such as, “That sounds frustrating,” or try reflecting instead.
Note Making is a way of recording important details from a source. This source can be any book, article, meeting or any oral discussion. In note making, the writer records the essence of the information. It helps us to understand and clarify thinking. Note making saves a lot of time by going through the notes made. One can get a glimpse of a lot of information from a short note.
Types
Below are the most widely used note-making methods:
Cornell Method
The Cornell Method for note-making was formulated at Cornell University in the 1950's, and has been useful for many individuals in making their notes more organized. When taking notes using this method, you divide your paper into two columns: the narrower left column (called the "cue" column) contains keywords, important terminology, or major concepts, and the wider right column (called the "outline" column) contains notes or descriptions associated with those terms. At the bottom of the page, you should also include a summary section, in which you restate the main ideas of the lesson in your own words.
Name : Title of Lessons Date : Paper : | |
Cue Column
| Notes Column 1. Record: During the lecture, use the note taking column to record the lecture using short sentences. 2. Questions: After class, formulate questions based on the notes in the note taking column. Writing questions helps to clarify meanings, reveal relationships, establish continuity, and strengthen memory. Also, the writing of questions sets up a perfect stage fir exam-studying later. 3. Recite: Cover the note taking column with a sheet of paper. Then, looking at the questions or cue-words in the question and cue column only, say aloud, in your own words, the answers to the questions, facts or ideas indicated by the cue words. 4. Reflect: Reflect on the material by asking yourself questions, for example: “What is the significance of these facts? What principle are they based on? How can I apply them? How do they fit in with what I already know? What’s beyond them?” 5. Review: Spend at least ten minutes every week reviewing all your previous notes. If you do, you will retain a great deal for current use, as well as, for the exam.
|
Summary After class, use this space at the bottom of each page to summarize the notes on that page. | |
Outline Method
The outline method uses numbers, letters, or even Roman numerals to identify and classify information based on levels of importance. The most important pieces of information are categorized as headings, and then supporting or less significant information is listed beneath that particular heading in order of importance or relationship.
Page #: 1 of 1 Date: March 12, 2012
Class Topic: How to outline Notes
- The first line is reserved for each topic or idea and is general
a. This concept always applies of the level above (T)
i. This concept always applies to the level up (a)
Ii. This is a second supporting piece of information equal to (i) to
Support (a)
Iii. This is also equal to (i) and (ii) to support (a)
b. This concept applies to the concept (T) and is equal to (a)
2. You do not have to use letters, numbers or roman numerals-the hierarchy is enough.
3. Advantages
a. Well organized
b. Records relationships/content
c. Reduces editing and easy review by adding main points into equations
4. Disadvantages
a. Need to pay close attention during class
b. Does not always show sequential relationships
c. Doesn’t work well for quick paced lectures.
Charting Method
With this method, you create a matrix or spreadsheet; identify descriptors for each of the columns and/or rows; and begin filling in information accordingly. This method may allow you to write less, and is especially helpful in courses that emphasize relationships between bodies of information.
The Charting Method
(Title)
Monday March 12, 2012
Page 1 of 1
How? | Advantages | Disadvantages | When to use it? |
Set up your paper in columns and label headings | Helps pull out the relevant information | Can be a hard system to learn to use | If you will be tested on facts and relationships |
The headings could be categories covered in the lecture. | Reduces the amount of writing required. | You will need to know what content is being covered at the beginning of the lecture. | If content is heavy and presented quickly such as a history course with dates people, events, etc. |
Insert information (words, phrases, main ideas, etc.) into the appropriate column. | Provides easy review for memorizing facts and studying comparisons and relationships. |
| If you want to make an overview of the whole course on one big paper. |
Sentence Method.
This method emphasizes writing down complete sentences during a lecture, so that you are retaining the specific terminology or wording used by your professor. If the information is very specific or specialized, writing down individual sentences can be helpful - although we recommend pairing this method with another, more visual, form of note-taking to provide balance.
The sentence method is the most conventional method. It can encourage a more passive approach, so to make your notes as effective as possible:
- Use headings, underlining and capitals to organise notes on the page
- Use symbols or abbreviations to keep it brief
- Use bullet points or numbering
- Leave good margins so you can add additional notes later
- Use quotation marks to show direct quotes from your lecturers or the source you are using
- Identify your own ideas e.g. Within square brackets or using a different colour.
Mind-Mapping Method
Visually representing information - by using bubbles, lines, boxes, or other visual markers to represent relationships, sequence, and importance - can also be an effective note-taking tool.
Mind maps allow you to make associations, form links and group similar topics together.
To draw a mind map, take a black piece of paper and start the subject of the presentation at the centre. After that think of all the ideas and concepts associated with the subject and start writing it around the central idea. Try to be as inclusive as possible at this stage. Don't try to edit the list down, just write down everything that occurs to you and don't worry about where to begin, it doesn't matter.
Conversion of Notes into Texts
Steps for converting notes into texts:
Step 1: Read the essential question, standard or objective at the top of your notes which may be below the title.
Step 2: Respond to first essential question, standard or objective in one sentence - this is the introductory sentence to the text. Always remember to use your own words in writing your texts.
Step 3: If you have used the Cornell method for taking notes, thoroughly review the first chunk of notes on the right side. Write the answer to the questions in the first chunk in a few sentences.
Step 4: If you have used the outline method, Make separate paragraphs for columns such as advantages and disadvantages etc. Note down each point in short and coherent sentences.
Step 5: For mind maps, start with the central bubble which is your main subject and write a few introductory sentences related to it.
Step 6: Now find the bubble consisting of the next central idea and formulate sentences including key words contained in the bubble. Repeat the process until all topics are covered.
Step 7: Summarize you notes at the end of the text while formulating a conclusion. The conclusion should not be more than 2 or 3 sentences. Reread your summary for clarity and accuracy, adding transitions, when possible.
Step 8: Review your summary to study for tests/quizzes, writing essays whenever necessary.
Summary Paragraph Template:
Essential question/ standard/ objective introductory sentence:
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Response to the question for the 1st chunk of notes (and so on):
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Paragraph containing advantages, disadvantages, uses, importance etc.:
___________________________________________________________________________
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Response to questions for all additional chunks of notes:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Summary/Conclusion in 2 or 3 sentences:
___________________________________________________________________________
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