Module-4

Academic Listening
Topics
• Types of listening Active Empathetic.

• Traits of a good listener.

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• Barriers in effective listening

• Tips for effective listening vs. passive.

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What is Listening?

• Listening is a process of receiving, and reacting to a message from interpreting the speaker
• No communication process is complete without listening.
• Listening is an important skill. Listening is quite similar to reading as it involves reception
and decoding of the verbal message from the other person. The following ex illustrates
importance of listening .
• In a biology class teacher asked the students to refer to a book titled “Origin of Species"
• One of the student sincerely went to library searched to the catalogue of library, looking
for book named Orange and Peaches" but to his utter dismay he could not find it. When
he approached the teacher he found that the book was entitled Origin of Species. This is
what happens when there is lack of concentration in listening

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Listening vs Hearing
• Hearing and listening are not the same.
• People may often use these words interchangeably. In fact, hearing is solely depends on
the ears, is a physical act, everyone can hear without deliberate effort.
• Hearing is merely vibration of sounds on the ear drum followed by electrochemical
response.
• On the other hand listening requires voluntary attention and then making sense of what is
being said.

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Types of Listening

• There are various forms of listening. These are as follows:

• 1) Casual Listening: Casual listening is to listen to someone or something without mush

and attention concentration. This type of listening has no specific purpose.

• 2) Focused listening: Focused listening is intentional and systematic process. The listener
gives his full attention and concentration on what the speaker is saying to get information,
knowledge and ideas. This type of listening is also considered as " Intensive Listening"

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Other Types of Listening

• Active listening also called as attentive listening

• Active listening involves attention, careful concentration of the consideration speaker's
The listener Ideas. Participates in communication process actively and attentively. The
listener nods his head, leans forward or show positive body language, which and
supports the speaker to encourages communicate more enthusiastically. This is positive
type of listening.

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Other Types of Listening

• Passive Listening:
• Passive Listening is very stern, rigid and orthodox type of listening. This type
of listening may create confusion in the mind of the speaker about true
intention of the listener. The listener wears a flat' face serious expressions,
surroundings all gestures that are used in active listening. Some times passive
listening is used to show status of the listeners.

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Other Types of Listening

• Critical listening:
• Critical listening can also be called as 'evaluating listening' This type of
listening involves critical evaluation of the speaker's thoughts and ideas. The
listener assesses speaker's depth of knowledge, choice of words and tone
and style of the listener. This type of listening is used in seminars,
conferences, group discussions, and other formal type of interactions

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Other Types of Listening

• Appreciative listening:
• This type of listening appreciates and supports the speaker. The listener
encourages and motivates the speaker to speak more and more
• Pretentive Listening:
• Pretentive listening is also called as 'False Listening" .The Listener pretends as if
he is listening attentively to the speakers. Whereas. The listeners is not paying
attention to the speaker. ' Even listener may nod his head, smile at the speaker,
lean forward, or he will pretend to write down something. The speaker is under
false impression that Listener is paying attention

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Other Types of Listening

• Empathetic listening:
• This Type of listening exercises emotional influence on the listener not only
understands the literal message but also understand the emotions, and the world
view of the speaker.
• Therapeutic listening:
• This type of listening involves a healing process in which person revels their
suppressed desires. The listener listens the speaker with the purpose to let the
speaker's suppressed feeling come to the surface.

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Other Types of Listening

• Selective Listening:
• In This type of listening the listener listens to only important and specific
information. The listener does not pay need to other topics or issues in the
speech.
• Biased Listening:
• In this type of listening:, the listener is biased and prejudiced against the speaker.
The listener has preconceived notion about the speaker and the speech. He is
already made not to trust the speaker, The listener shows lack of respect for the
listener.

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Other Types of Listening

• Assertive Listening:
• In this type of listening, the listener allows the speaker to express his ideas
freely and frankly. respects the speaker's right to speak Assertive listening
encourages the speak to communicate his ideas in an open environment.

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Traits of a good listener

• ' Being non evaluative: '

• If you are an active listener your verbal and non- verbal behavior should
suggest the speaker that he is being properly heard and understood. It
should not indicate what you think about a person. The purpose is to
communicate overlooking the qualities of the speaker. The behavior of the
listener should convey the impression that you accept the person without
making judgment of right or wrong, good or bad, suitable or unsuitable.
• ' Paraphrasing (summarize) '
• If you wish to clarify a point, you can simply summarize what the speaker
has said and enquire the speaker whether you have heard it accurately or
not.
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Traits of a good listener

• Reflecting Implications (suggestions)

• In order to per sue the speaker ( to motivate the speaker) to extend his ideas, the
listener has to reflect eagerness and willingness to learn more by using expressions like
nodding or through verbal means, thereby giving positive feedback. This technique is
can used by listener to get more information from the speaker in the area of interest of
the listener. ' i.e. to divert the speaker from his main topic.
• Reflecting Hidden Feelings:
• ' Sometimes the listener have to go beyond the general feeling and contents of what is
being said to unravel the underlying feeling, intentions, beliefs that may influence the
speaker's words .This would make the speaker evaluated. ' Acceptance is conveyed more
by listeners manner and tone than by the words.

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Traits of a good listener

• Inviting Further Contribution

• ' In a situation where listener haven't heard or understood enough. The
listener can respond with empathy and understanding, prompt the speaker
to give more information The idea here is to get a better understanding of
the subject by asking questions. But the questions should be for seeking
information not to interrogate or challenge the speaker.

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Traits of a good listener

• Responding Non-Verbally
• Listener can portray his image as that of a active listener by adopting certain
postures, and sending non verbal signal which the listeners communicates
interest in what the speaker is saying. This may include eye forward Leaning
contact, the listener, head towards nodding. Listener can also use some receptive
utterances like 'yes' dun-hum' to indicate that message of speaker is being
understood.

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Barriers

• The factors which are creating barriers in effective listening are as follows:
• Distance: Distance between the speaker and the listener from long distance may effect the
listening process. If the speaker is speaking from long distance, the listener may struggle to
grasp what the speaker is speaking. Some of the words may be mismay be mis-
understood by the listener.
• ' Omniscient attitude of the listener: people considered themselves as ' know all' men.
They think that they have perfect knowledge of everything in the world. According to
them listening to others is pure waste of time.. They are not listening to the speakers
because they thing that they already know what he is going to say.

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Barriers

• Infrastructure: Poor Infrastructure may effect listening process. Lack of proper ventilation,
light, acoustics can act as a barrier to listening.
• Speed of the speaker: Speed of the speaker can act as a barrier to listening. If the speaker
is speaking too speedily, the listeners have no other alternative left than watching speaker.
The Human brain receives sounds at a specific speed. If this speed is not maintained
properly, the listener's may get distracted.
• Speakers' Non-verbal communication: Speaker's no use of facial expression, gestures, body
language, eye contact and other factors can create barriers to listening. If the speaker
relies only on verbal expressions, the listener will be tired of constant bombardment of
words and verbal expressions.
• 'Voice and tone of the speaker: the listener will feel bored and fade up to listen to
monotones speech. If the speaker's voice is not audible, the listener may not listen to it
attentively. On the contrary, many speaker's maintain a monotonous tone which irritates
the listener. 18
Barriers

• ' Lack of Factual Information : Many Times listener do nor listen attentively and carefully
because he does not find any factual information in the speech '
• Language of the speaker: If the speaker is using high technical jargon and difficult words
the listener will be clueless about the meaning of those words. They will try to find
meaning of those words instead of listening to the speaker.

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Techniques to Improve Listening Skills

• Motivate yourself to listen

• Respect the speaker

• Positive body language

• Do not Interrupt the speaker unnecessarily

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Benefits of Listening Effectively

• Effective listening at all level is very important for the successful running of an
organization. Good listening skills make workers more productive.
• The ability to listen carefully will allow you to:
• Better understand assignments and what is expected of you.
• Build rapport with co-workers, bosses, and clients.
• Show support. Work better in a team-based environment.
• Resolve problems with customers, co-workers, and bosses.
• Answer questions; and find underlying meanings in what others say.
• Effective listening helps in controlling rumors which helps in preventing damage to the
reputation of the organization.
• Effective listening will improve the working condition and nurture harmony and unity
among the workers and colleagues.
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