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Listening

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Listening Overview

Learning Objectives

 

By the end of the training, participants should 

  • Understand the difference between hearing and listening

  • Comprehend the types of listening, and be able to implement each in appropriate scenarios

  • Develop physical and mental listening skills and techniques

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”  - Winston Churchill

At some point in your life, someone has complained that you weren’t listening. Whether that was a parent, a teacher, or a friend - we sometimes fail to listen. Often, this is because listening takes great effort. We also have to think about what type of listening is required for each situation in order to best understand and comprehend the information. 

 

While we won’t cover all of the areas of listening in this module, we will cover the areas that will benefit you the most as a communication center tutor. We will also go over the basics of listening (and how it differs from just hearing) as well as how to be a good listener (inside and outside of the comm center).

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​Listening is valued as one of the top communication skills necessary for success in academic, personal and professional contexts. Studies show that most people will spend more time on listening as a communication act compared to speaking, reading or writing. However, many people are never taught critical listening skills and most people only remember 25-50% of what they hear (Emerson, 2021).

Hearing vs. Listening

Hearing is the physical ability to detect sounds while listening requires concentration to interpret the sounds and apply meaning.

Reflection

  1. Do you perceive yourself to be a good listener? Why or why not?

  2. Have others commented on your listening skills? What have they told you?

  3. On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent, how would you rate your listening skills?

Types of Listening 

  • Informational or analytical listening: focus on the content to acquire knowledge

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  • Empathetic listening: focus is on understanding the speaker’s point of view without judgment

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  • Passive listening: focus on receiving the message, without providing feedback or verification

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  • Critical listening: focus on evaluating the information for quality or accuracy; for example, assessing credibility or creating a list of advantages and disadvantages

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  • Task-oriented listening: focus on gathering information needed to get a job or task completed

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  • Relational listening: focus on emotionally connecting with the speaker

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  • Supportive listening: focus is on helping speaker with personal dilemmas

Activity

Consider taking a listening test. What type of listener are you?

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Take a Listening Test here!

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Reflection

  1. What are the benefits and drawbacks of the 7 types of listening that you may encounter as a communication center tutor? 

  2. How might you listen differently as a student in class versus as a tutor with a client seeking the center’s service versus as a co-worker or employee in the center?

  3. Which type of listening is easiest for you? Which type is the most challenging? Why? Reflect, compare and explain.

  4. Look at the image explaining the Chinese character for listening. What stands out to you about the components of this character? How does listening with eyes, ears, heart and undivided attention impact you and the speaker?

Barriers to Listening

  • Message overload

  • Language: Jargon, slang, vocabulary choice, etc. 

  • Bias

  • Rapid thought (we can process speech at up to 600 words per minute, while the average person speaks between 100-140 words per minute–what are you doing with that ‘spare’ time?)

  • Psychological noise

  • Physical noise

  • Physiological noise

  • Defensive listening

  • Pseudolistening or faking attention

Reading

DeKay, S. H. (2012). Interpersonal communication in the workplace: A largely unexplored region. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 449–452. https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569912458966 

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Harrington, J. (2022)“Interpersonal Communication Skills in the Workplace.” CSP Global https://online.csp.edu/resources/article/developing-effective-interpersonal-communication-skills/

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“Interpersonal Communication: Definition, Examples, & Skills.” The Berkeley Well-Being Institute, https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/interpersonal-communication.html. 

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Ganan, J. (2021). Communication centers as uniquely positioned sites to strategize “belonging”, Communication Center Journal, 7(1),  

https://libjournal.uncg.edu/ccj/article/view/2240/pdf

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Hynes, G. E. (2012). Improving employees’ interpersonal communication competencies. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 466–475. https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569912458965 

Reflection

Think about what you’ve learned about verbal and non-verbal interpersonal communication with coworkers and supervisors. With these strategies identify moments where you remember efficient verbal and non-verbal interpersonal communication. 

  • Verbal Communication

    • Think about what you’ve learned about verbal and non-verbal interpersonal communication with coworkers and supervisors. With these strategies identify moments where you remember efficient professional verbal communication. What did the speaker convey with their speech? What made them sound professional? 

    • Think about a time you felt comfortable with a teacher, supervisor, classmate, or coworker. What made your conversations comfortable and open? 

  • Non-Verbal communication

    • Think about an instance where you were telling a story to someone and they made you feel listened to. What behaviors did you recognize as them listening?

Click Here for our References

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