37543722 Effective Listening Skills

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Effective Listening SkillsBy Muhammad RizwanReport submitted to the faculty of PIEAS in partial fulfillment of requirementsfor the course of Technical English

Department of BCIS Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Nilore,Islamabad, Pakistan.

April 2008


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Department of BCIS,Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) Nilore. Islamabad45650, Pakistan

Declaration of OriginalityI hereby declare that the work contained in this report and the intellectual content of this report are the product of my own work. This report has not been previously published in any form nor does it contain any verbatim of the publishedresources which could be treated as infringement of the international copyrightlaw. I also declare that I do understand the terms `copyright' and `plagiarism,' and tht in case of any copyright violation or plagiarism found in this work, I will beheld fully responsible of the consequences of any such violation.

Signature: _______________________________

Name: Muhammad Rizwan

Date: April 11, 2008

Place: ______________


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AcknowledgementFirst, I m very grateful to Allah Almighty Who is the source of all knowledge and wisdom, granted me ability to do this work. I am thankful to my teacher Dr. Tariq Majeed who guided and helped me a lot. I am thankful to all those persons, who helped me in this work.

Muhammad Rizwan BS(CIS)2nd sem.


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Table of Contents1 Introduction to Effective Listening ...........................................................................1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Definition ..........................................................................................................1 Why it is important? ..........................................................................................1 Different Phases of Communication ..................................................................2 Attributes of Effective Listening ........................................................................2 Critical Attributes .......................................................................................2

1.4.1

1.4.1.1 Receiving ................................................................................................2 1.4.1.2 Attending ................................................................................................2 1.4.1.3Understanding .........................................................................................2 1.4.2 Variable Attributes .....................................................................................2

1.4.2.1 Responding .............................................................................................3 1.4.2.2 Remembering ..........................

...............................................................3 1.5 Importanceof Effective Listening .........................................................

.............3 Importance of Listening in Everyday Life ........................

...........................3 Importance of Listening in Organizational or Professional Life ..................3 Importance of Listening in Non-verbal Communication .............................4

1.5.1 1.5.2 1.5.3 2

Benefits of Effective Listening .................................................................................4 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Listening is Informative .....................................................................................4 Listening can Solve Many Problems ...............................

...................................5 Respect ..............................................................................................................5 Listening can Heal .............................................................................................5 Enhances Relationships .....................................................................................5 Good Listener is aGood Speaker .......................................................................5 Good Listeners are Successful Employees .........................................................5

3 4

Active Listening is an Art ........................................................................................6 Barriers in Effective Listening ...........

......................................................................6 4.1 Physical Barriers ...............................................................................................6


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vi 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 5 Outside Distractions ..........................................................................................7 Tiredness ...........................................................................................................7 Boredom............................................................................................................7 Information Overload ........................................................................................7 Prejudice or Perception about the Speaker .........................................................7 Differences between Speech Rate and Thought Rate..........................................8 Language or Cultural Differences ......................................................................8

How to develop listening skills? ...............................................................................8 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Active Silence...................................................................................................8 Summarize ........................................................................................................8 Avoid Distractions .............................................................................................8 Nonverbal Ways ................................................................................................8 Stay Calm ..........................................................................................................9 Schedule Appropriately .....................................................................................9 Be Patient ..........................................................................................................9 Wait Your Turn .........................................................................

........................9

6 7 8

Characteristics of a good listener ..............................................................................9 Summary and Conclusion ...................................................................................... 10 References ............................................................................................................. 11


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List of FiguresFigure 1 : Phases of communication ................................................................................1 Figure 2 : Team work ......................................................................................................3 Figure 3 : Informative listening ........................................................................................4 Figure 4 : Listening for employees...................................................................................6 Figure 5 : Tiredness .........................................................................................................7


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Executive SummaryCommunication is of extreme importance in our life. In addition to speaking, listening is also an important phase of communication. Listening means to hear thewords only but effective listening means to understand completely what is beingsaid. Two attributes related to listening are critical and variable attributes.Critical attributes include receiving, attending and understanding while variable attributes include responding and remembering. Listening is very important both in our common life as well as in professional life. A good listener understands verbal language as well as understands the body language of the speaker. Otherwise listening cannot be effective. Besides some barriers to effective listeningare also discussed in this report.


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1 Introduction to Effective ListeningYou may hear the words people say, but do you understand what they are trying toSAY? Therefore, we define effective listening.

1.1 DefinitionListening is a process of receiving, attending and understanding the auditory messages.Listening process continues throughout the life of a person. Every person is listening something every time but this ordinary listening may not be effective listening because person might be hearing what is being said but not understandingit. These are the stages involved in the process of listening.

1.2 Why it is important?Listening is the most important part of communication. Listening is the communication skill, which we use most and study least.

Effective communication exists between two people when the receiver interprets and understands the sender's message in the way the speaker intended it. [1]

Figure 1 : Phases of communication

Some people differentiate listening from hearing as the hearing is with senses b

ut listening is with mind but some people say that both are same, there is no major difference between listening and hearing. Listening has very mush importancein a workplace.


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2 Management is not possible without good listening skills Teamwork is based upon good communication skills

1.3 Different Phases of CommunicationListening Speaking Reading Writing

In the above priority list, listening comes first. Listening is the most basic phase of communication. Without listening, you cannot even speak because a childlearns speaking only through his listening. So to communicate effectively make your listening effective.

1.4 Attributes of Effective ListeningFollowing are the attributes of listening.

1.4.1 Critical AttributesCritical attributes are the most essential attributes of the listening. Listening cannot be defined without these attributes. 1.4.1.1 Receiving

First stage of listening is reception i.e. listener hears what the other personis saying. Listener just tries to translate or decode the message conveyed by the sender. 1.4.1.2 Attending

After decoding the message listener pays attention (may be little or more) to what the other person has said. 1.4.1.3 Understanding

The next and the most important step in listening process is the understanding the true message of the speaker. Without better understanding, listening cannot be called effective.

1.4.2 Variable AttributesVariable attributes are those attributes that are not as such the part of listening. However, they have their own importance in listening process.


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3 There are two types of variable attributes. 1.4.2.1 Responding

Response to a certain stimulus is important. Actually, in communication processthe speaker gives some stimuli to the listener, response to these stimuli vary from person to person according to his understanding ability. Different persons give different response to the same stimulus. 1.4.2.2 Remembering

After listening something, it may or may not be important to remember it. It depends upon the situation and message. For example to remember a certain message may be important for a person but at the same time this may not have any importance for another person that is why we say that remembering the certain message isvariable attribute of listening.

1.5 Importance of Effective ListeningWe all are well familiar with the importance of listening in our life. It is asmuch important in organizational or professional life as it is in every day life.

1.5.1 Importance of Listening in Everyday LifeListening is the most important part of the communication process. You can neverhave good communication skills if your listening skills are not excellent. In every aspect of life we have to communicate with others, we have to listen to them so we must develop our listening skills to spend a successful life. In some situations, listening is a demonstration of our patience.

1.5.2 Importance of Listening in Organizational or Professional LifeListening is the thing that makes the teamwork to be possible.

Figure 2 : Team work


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4 A team is the best demonstration of the importance of listening, every team members has to be a good listener to do his jobs effectively. Because if a team member is not a good listener then he may not work according to the instruction given by the head or supervisor of the team. Hence weather you are a head of an organization or a worker of any rank you have to be a good listener to do your jobefficiently because you have to listen to many things at every stage. Good leaders and supervisors are mostly good listeners.

1.5.3 Importance of Listening in Non-verbal CommunicationIn non-verbal communication, listening is as much important as in the verbal communication. A good listener not only hears the words but also understands the body language of the speakers. There are always some things that cannot be described in the form of words but can be shown only through actions, so a good listener understands all these things.

2 Benefits of Effective ListeningOnce you have developed effective listening skills, you may find others increasing their trust in you. Not only do effective listening skills improve your leadership ability, they improve your interpersonal relationships as well.

2.1 Listening is Informative

Figure 3 : Informative listening

If you listen, you will always gain something and it will increase your knowledge. Learning through listening is more effective than through reading or some other means. Listening makes a man critical and rational.


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2.2 Listening can Solve Many ProblemsIn our life we face many problems some of them may be serious but mostly problems arise due to some sort of ambiguity or misunderstanding. Such kind of problemscan only be solved through good listening. Only listening can remove ambiguity.

2.3 RespectActive listening make a person (speaker) realize that how much importance he have for the listeners and how much respect he has in front of them. The friends wholisten to us are the ones we move toward, and we want to sit in their radius. (Karl Menninger)

2.4 Listening can HealActive listening can heal the gloomy hearts. We can make a person satisfied anda little bit happy through our listening skills. When we listen attentively to aperson, who is disappointed or sorrowful then it can heal his heart and grantshim trust and satisfaction.

2.5 Enhances RelationshipsListening plays an important role to strengthen the relationships. Active listening between two people makes their relationship strong and trustworthy.

2.6 Good Listener is a Good Speaker

Listening makes a person good speaker. In other words, we can say that to be a good speaker one has to be a good listener first. It is a common observation thata person who is not a good listener can never express his ideas effectively.

2.7 Good Listeners are Successful EmployeesIn a workplace those employee are successful who are good listener due to the following reasons.


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Figure 4 : Listening for employees

Someone who listens well easily establishes rapport with others. Good listenersattract others because they focus on the speaker completely. They have a positive energy that makes you want to be in their company. They are effective in theirjobs because, by listening and asking the appropriate questions, they know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it.

3 Active Listening is an ArtMost humans, unless impaired in some way, can hear fairly well. Fewer, however,really know how to listen. Listening describes a more active phase of hearing. Good communication and understanding are made possible by active listening. Active listening is both an art and a skill. It is something to be appreciated, but it does not come without some practice. [2]

4 Barriers in Effective ListeningBarriers are those factors, which affect the listening process. There are many barriers in effective listening process some of them are described below:

4.1 Physical BarriersThere are several physical barriers that concern with the listener. For example,listener hears loud, depressed or disturbed, confused or uncomfortable etc. all

are the barriers in effective listening.


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4.2 Outside DistractionsThere may be some physical distractions, which may hinder in effective listening. For example temperature, noise of door etc., distance from the speaker, are environmental barriers to effective listening.

4.3 Tiredness

Figure 5 : Tiredness

Tiredness can also be one of the barriers to the active listening. If a person is tired then he/she may not be able to pay full attention to the speaker. As a result, he may not listen effectively.

4.4 BoredomIf the listener is feeling bore it means that either he has no interest in whatthe speaker is saying or speaker is not relevant to the topic. As a result, listening process may not remain effective.

4.5 Information OverloadIf the listener already knows, much about what is being said then he may not payattention to the speaker and hence it will affect the listening process.

4.6 Prejudice or Perception about the SpeakerIn listening process, perception of the listener about the speaker may also be abarrier. For example if a listener has a bad perception map about the speaker or does not like him then he may not want to listen to him.


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4.7 Differences between Speech Rate and Thought RateThere is the barrier created by the fact that a listener can think much more quickly than the other person can talk. It has been suggested that we think at 1,000-3,000 words per minute but listen at 125-400 words per minute, so boredom andimpatience come quickly. This results in another barrier which is that the listener not only has the speaker's voice with which to contend, but also has an internal voice that keeps up a simultaneous dialog of critiquing, analyzing, and judging what is being heard [3].

4.8 Language or Cultural DifferencesCultural differences between two persons may affect the listening process between them. They may not be able to understand each other due to their different languages or due to poor vocabulary.

5 How to develop listening skills?Since most of us are not born with effective listening skills, following tips may help you become a better listener:

5.1 Active SilenceWhen you are listening, speak only when you need clarification or to summarize what you have heard. Do not be afraid of silence!

5.2 SummarizeIt is a good idea to summarize, in your own words, what the speaker has told you. This allows you to ensure you have heard everything correctly and shows the speaker you are truly listening.

5.3 Avoid DistractionsLet your speaker know that he or she is your main focus. In addition, do not beaffected by distractions.

5.4 Nonverbal WaysThe way you present yourself often determines what or how much your speaker willtell you. If your nonverbal cues relay the message that you are uninterested orbored, your


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9 speaker will notice that. The following nonverbal cues will help communicate that you are listening effectively: Maintain eye contact Keep your posture open and relaxed (avoid crossing your arms) Avoid looking at your watch Nod and smile let your speaker know you are still listening

5.5 Stay CalmIf your speaker is using highly emotional words or becoming visibly upset, remain calm. If you allow yourself to become over-stimulated by what is being said, you will not be able to focus on the main point [4].

5.6 Schedule AppropriatelySchedule important meetings or conversations for times when you are least likelyto be tired, interrupted, or distracted.

5.7 Be PatientDo not form opinions or make decisions until the speaker is finished. Give the speaker a chance to elaborate or correct a mistake wait a moment before speaking.

5.8 Wait Your TurnDo not interrupt to correct the speaker, finish the speaker's sentence, or change.

6 Characteristics of a good listenerFollowing are some characteristics of a good listener. A good listener, Stays with the speaker, mentally summarizes the speaker, weighs evidence, and listens be

tween the lines. Listens for central or overall ideas Listens for any useful information Assesses content by listening to entire message before making judgmentsWithholds judgment until comprehension is complete Gives the speaker full attention


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10 Fights distractions and concentrates on the speaker Listens to both favorableand unfavorable information Treats complex presentations as exercises for the mind Interprets the speaker's words Evaluates their meaning Responds effectively cuses on the substance of what is being said, not its delivery Looks for what can be learned that is new Paraphrases the content when appropriate Asks for information and clarification Pays attention to the non-verbal as well as verbal messages

7 Summary and ConclusionMain conclusion from the above discussion is that whether we are in an organization or not we have to be a good listener because without having good listening skills a person cannot succeed in life at every stage or step we concern with listening. Listening is important not only in a workplace but also in our common life. Listening helps us a lot in many aspects of life. If one wants to be effective in his or her job then he/she must improve his/her listening skills first then he/she will be a successful employee. Although there are many barriers in effective listening but we must overcome them to be a good listener. There are manytechniques, which may help us in becoming a good listener. We must remember thata good listener is a successful person. All of us are well familiar with the importance of communication in our life. Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages. Speaking is considered a very important part of communication but listening is also very much important because in communication processlistening is the basic phase of communication. Listening means to hear the wordsonly but effective listening means to understand completely what is being said.

There are two types of attributes related to listening, critical attributes andvariable attributes. Critical attributes are those without which


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11 listening cannot be defined while variable attributes are those, which vary person to person. Critical attributes include receiving, attending and understanding while variable attributes include responding and remembering. Listening is very important in our common life as well as in professional life. To be a good employee one has to be a good listener first, because at every step an employee has to listen to many things like instructions from his or her supervisor or boss. Teamwork is more effective if the members of the team are good listeners. Whenwe talk about listening in non-verbal communication then we come to know that effective listening is only possible when a listener understands verbal languageas well as understands the body language of the speaker. Otherwise listening cannot be effective. There are many barriers in effective listening like physical distraction, mental disturbance of the listener, language or cultural differences, prejudice and emotions etc. Hence, for a good listener it is essential to overcome all these barriers. A good listener pays full attention to the speaker andalso uses non-verbal cues to ensure that the speaker is being listened carefully. A good listener always learns by listening and tends to listen to the new ideas and informative

8 References[1]. Irene Elizarraraz & Tamara Gatewood, Effective Listening Skills, John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, 2004. URL: http://www.eastbayworks.org/upload/files/00017500044Effective_Listening_PPP-2.ppt

[2]. Self-Help Network Center for Community Support and Research Fairmount Colle

ge of Liberal Arts and Sciences / Wichita State University, Department of Psychology, 2005 URL: http://www.selfhelpnetwork.wichita.edu


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12 [3]. Janczewski, L. (2001). Communication Skills for Information Systems Students, Proceedings of the 2001 Informing Science Conference, Krakow, Poland. URL: http://ecommerce.lebow.drexel.edu/eli/

[4]. Dr. Mohammed Ibahrine, Effective Listening, Al Akhawayn University School ofHumanities and Social Sciences. P.O. Box 104 Hassan II Avenue, 53000 IFRANE, Morocco. URL: http://www.aui.ma/


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37543722 Effective Listening Skills