LISTENING SKILLS

Communications  - an art / science; It  is the key to achieving all our goals.

We spend approximately 70% of our time communicating with others.

Of this communications time, we spend:

16% Reading - 9% Writing - 30% Talking-   45% Listening

How we really communicate:

• 7% of what we communicate is based on vocabulary

• 38% of what we communicate is based on voice inflections

• 55% of what we communicate is based on nonverbal behavior

The Listening Dilemma

• We speak at a rate of about 150 words per minute (wpm).

• But we can hear at a rate of about 1,000 wpm. • This gives us a lot of extra time!

A  list of ten bad habits of listening.

o   I interrupt often or try to finish the other person’s sentences.

o   I jump to conclusions.

o   I am often overly parental and answer with advice, even when not requested.

o   I make up my mind before I have all the information.

o   I am a compulsive note taker.

o   I don’t give any response afterward, even if I say I will.

o   I am impatient.

o   I lose my temper when hearing things I don’t agree with.

o   I try to change the subject to something that relates to my own experiences.

o   I think more about my reply while the other person is speaking than what he or she is saying.

Seven Levels of Listening

1 Not listening: Not paying attention to or ignoring the other person’s communications.

2 Pretend listening: Acting like or giving the impression that you are paying attention to another person’s communications, but in actuality not really paying attention to that individual.

3 Partially listening: Only focusing on part of the other person’s  communication or only giving it your divided attention.

4 Focused listening: Giving the other person your undivided attention to his or her communication.

5 Interpretive listening: Going beyond just paying attention but really trying to understand what the other person is communicating.

6 Interactive listening: Being involved in the communications by asking clarifying questions or acknowledging understanding of the communication.

7 Engaged listening: Being fully engaged in communications involves listening to the other person’s views, feelings, interpretations, values, etc., concerning the communication and sharing yours as well with the other person(s). In engaged listening, both parties are given the opportunity to fully express their views, feelings, and ideas.

listening tips:

• Paraphrase the message to the speaker in order to confirm your understanding.

• Repeat the message to help you remember what was said.

• Probe for missing information.

• Clarify any points that you might not completely understand.

• Remember the important points of the message for future application.

Courtesy: Internet Info 

TO BE CONTINUED...