CHAPTER 10

LISTENING

LISTENING IS IMPORTANT

• HEARING VS LISTENING
– Hearing is the vibration of sound waves on the
eardrums and the firing of electrochemical
impulses in the brain

– Listening is paying close attention to, and

making sense of, what we hear

HOW TO GET PEOPLE TO LISTEN TO YOU?

• Find out:
1. Who is talking?
2. Who is listening?
3. Examine each individual and decide whether or not
he/she is interested and involved in what is being said
4. How do you know?
5. What will the speaker’s reaction be to each person?

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 GETTING INVOLVED IN LISTENING

1. DECIDE TO LISTEN
• By paying attention and through actions to show involvement
and interest
2. CREATE INVOLVEMENT
• Provide comments but do not bombard the speaker with
unnecessary question, over doing phrases
3. INVITATIONS TO TALK
• Encourage the speaker to talk
• Do not give negative comments e.g. “You look like something is
bothering you”

LISTENING AND CRITICAL THINKING

• Four types of listening:

1. Appreciative listening
– Listening for pleasure or enjoyment
2. Empathic listening
– Listening to provide emotional support for the speaker
3. Comprehensive listening
– Listening to understand the message of a speaker
4. Critical listening
– Listening to evaluate a message for purposes of accepting or
rejecting it

FOUR CAUSES OF POOR LISTENING

1. Not concentrating
2. Listening too hard
3. Jumping to conclusions
4. Focusing on delivery and personal appearance

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HOW TO BECOME A BETTER LISTENER

1. Take listening seriously

2. Be an active listener
3. Resist distractions
4. Don’t be diverted by appearance or delivery
5. Suspend judgment
6. Focus your listening
• Listen for main points
• Listen for evidence
• Listen for technique
7. Develop note-taking skills
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BAD LISTENING HABITS AND THEIR CURES

1. Being distracted by the speaker’

speaker’s appearance or delivery
Habit:
Some people don’t listen to what a speaker is saying because they are
concentrating on the person’s speech patterns, gestures, posture, clothes
or appearance. For example, a friend of Alina’s father was explaining
how to apply for a job with his company. Alina was so busy admiring
the man’s gold watch and expensive suit that she forgot to listen to
what she was being told
Cure:
Concentrate on what the speaker is saying, not on how he or she looks
or sounds. You can miss important information by thinking about a
person’s appearance or delivery style instead of paying attention to his
or her words

2. Deciding the topic is boring

Habit:
Some people decide in advance that they will be bored by what the
speaker is going to talk about and use this prejudice as an excuse not to
listen. For example, the president of a local bank came to speak to a
group of college students about inflation. Emma decided that she
wasn’t interested in the topic and would be bored, so she brought a
newspaper to read during the banker’s speech. The speaker gave
excellent suggestions about fighting inflation and saving money. All of
Emma’s friends thought it was a great speech with much useful
information. but she missed out because she wants listening
Cure:
Never take the attitude “I must sit through another boring talk.” Even
if you are not interested in the topic at first, remember some of the
information could be important or interesting. Make an effort to listen
for information that you could use later (e.g., in college course, job, or
conversation with friends or family). Adopt the attitude “I may as well
listen since I’m already here”

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3. Faking attention
Habit:
Some people pretend to be listening, but their minds are on other
things. They might be looking directly at the speaker and even nodding
their heads in agreement when, in fact, they are actually daydreaming,
thinking about their own problems, or planning what they want to say
in response to the speech. The speaker thinks the listeners are polite and
interested, when they are really not paying attention. For example,
Margaret Lane, author of a Reader’s Digest article entitled “Are You
Really Listening?” describes how faking attention cost her a job. When
interviewing her for a job on a newspaper, the editor described his
winter ski trip. She wanted to impress him by talking about a camping
trip in the same mountains and started planning her own adventure
story. The editor suddenly asked, “What do you think of that?” Ms.
Lane (not having listened to him) answered, “Sounds like fun!” The
annoyed editor replied, “Fun? I just told you I was in the hospital with a
broken leg”
Cure:
Don’t just pretend to pay attention. Be sincere and take a real interest in
the person speaking to you. If you are too busy to listen, ask the
speaker if he or she can tell you later when you can really take the time
to listen
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4. Looking for distractions

Habit:
Some people allow themselves to be distracted by their
surroundings. They might look out the window or at the
wall, play with a pencil or hair clip, or observe how people in
the room are dressed. For example, one student failed a
math test because she wasn’t listening when the teacher told
the class to be prepared for a quiz the following day. She was
looking at a boy with dandruff seated in front of her and
thinking how ugly his hair looked
Cure:
Concentrate! Refuse to allow distractions to take your mind
off the speaker. Develop the willpower to ignore them

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5. Concentrating on unimportant details

Habit:
Some people concentrate on specific details and miss the speaker’s main
points. For example, notice how the student missed the advisor’s main
points in the dialog below.
ADVISOR: On Friday, May 10, Miss Martin, the Director of Financial
Aid, spoke about applying for a scholarship.
STUDENT: May 10 was a Thursday, not a Friday.
ADVISOR: I’ll now summarize this important information for you …
STUDENT: It’s not Miss Martin, it’s Mrs. Martin.
ADVISOR: Write to the address I gave you and send the application.
STUDENT: What address? What application?
Cure:
When listening, pay attention to the general purpose of the message
rather than to insignificant details. Listen for the main point of the talk
first; then take note of any supporting facts
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6. Reacting emotionally to trigger words
Habit:
Some people ignore or distort what a speaker is saying because they
react emotionally to “trigger words” – words that cause positive or
negative emotional reactions. When this happens, their ability to listen
decreases because they allow their emotions to take over. For example,
if a favorite subject is mentioned, some people begin thinking about it
and want to express their opinions. Similarly, if an unpleasant subject is
mentioned, some people get upset or angry and stop listening to what
the speaker is saying
For example, Daniel, a student from Johor, was listening to his History
teacher discuss the history of Johor. As soon as he mentioned Batu
Pahat, Daniel became homesick and started to think about his friends
and family still there. The mention of Batu Pahat caused him to have a
pleasant emotional reaction. However, pleasant or not, the trigger word
”Batu Pahat” caused Daniel to stop listening to his teacher’s lecture
Cure:
Identify the trigger words – specific words, people, and topics that affect
you. Once you determine what they are, you can reduce their effect on
you by recognizing them as soon as they are mentioned. This strategy
will help you to remain objective and to concentrate on the speaker’s
message. Let the speaker finish what he or she is saying before you allow
past memories to cause you to react emotionally 13

FIVE QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE A GOOD

SPEAKER
1. Did the speaker speak too quickly?
2. Did the speaker use words or expressions unfamiliar to
you?
3. Did the speaker provide too many information?
4. Were you interested in what the speaker had to say?
5. What other reasons made you miss some of the
information?

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