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©2007 by the McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Listening: A Silent Hero

©2007 by the McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

McGraw­Hill/Irwin

Are You Listening?

Some professionals spend most of their working day listening to customers. © Keith Brofsky/Getty Images

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Are You Listening?

•

Is Anybody Really Listening?

◦

involuntary physiological process of receiving sound waves through receptors in the ear that transmit them to the brain

 Hearing

◦

active process of selecting, attending to, interpreting, and remembering sounds

• What’s the Difference Between Hearing

and Listening?

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 Listening

Are You Listening?

FIGURE 4.1 Profile of Business Communication Skills

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Are You Listening?

FIGURE 4.2 Listening

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Active Listening in Business

 Active listening

◦

  Listening to Learn

•

focusing on, interpreting, and remembering information

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intrapersonal and interactive process in which we actively focus on, interpret, and respond verbally and nonverbally to messages

Active Listening in Business

• Practice Listening to Learn

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 Prepare yourself to listen actively  Interpret message meaning & support memory  Withhold judgment  Outline message  Take notes  Mentally summarize information  Ask questions  Practice listening to challenging material

Active Listening in Business

Critical listening requires that you evaluate and analyze information in order to make a decision.

© Royalty-Free/CORBIS

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Active Listening in Business

 Critical Listening

◦ making assessments and decisions about what

 Sensitive Listening

you hear

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◦ supportive and nonjudgmental; it demonstrates empathy toward others when they share their thoughts and feelings

Active Listening in Business

• Practice Sensitive Listening

 Take time to listen.

 Empathize with the speaker.

 Let the speaker vent.

 Withhold judgment and criticism. Avoid downgrading.

 Don’t offer advice or try to solve the problem.

 Demonstrate supportive verbal & nonverbal feedback.

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Active Listening in Business

  Dialogue Listening

• Practice Listening in Business Groups

◦ used to identify, share, and explore other people’s meanings and perspectives in an open group dialogue

 Prepare for listening in advance

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 During the meeting

Active Listening in Business

• Listening Self-Assessment

1. tend to daydream or change the topic

2. mentally or verbally paraphrase

3. tend to interrupt

4. ask the speaker questions

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5. often divert my eye gaze away

Active Listening in Business

• Listening Self-Assessment (continued)

6. ask for clarification

7. tend to think about what I want to say

8. listen to everything

9. find myself fidgeting

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10. avoid internal and external distractions

Active Listening in Business

• Listening Self-Assessment (continued)

11. think about other unrelated things

12. exhibit nonverbal cues

13. verbally complete the speaker’s sentences

14. take notes

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15. jump in to offer my opinion or a solution

Passive Listening in Business

 Passive listening

• Listening for Pleasure

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◦ absorption of sounds without the personal involvement necessary for active attention, interpretation, or feedback

Passive Listening in Business

• Casual Listening

◦

interpersonal listening that occurs among two or more people in a social setting

 Conversational casual listening

◦

passive because the listener may not be interested in the topic and does not participate in the interaction

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 Polite casual listening

I’m Not Listening

• Too Busy with Wireless to Listen

◦ when we tune messages out

More and more companies are cracking down on the use of cell phones and hand-held devices, which can distract listeners during meetings.

© Ronnie Kaufman/CORBIS

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 Not listening

Listening Liabilities

• External Noise

•

Internal Noise

1. Preoccupation

2. Self-centered listening

3. Focusing exclusively on facts

4. Daydreaming

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5. Resist asking important questions

Listening Liabilities

• Message Noise

1. Emotionally charged words can interfere

2. Perceived as uninteresting or challenging

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3. Preconceived ideas and prejudices

Listening Liabilities

• Channel Deficiencies

• Cultural Barriers

1. Accents

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2. Men and women

Questions

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