ListeningWe have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen

twice as much as we speak. ~ Epictetus

•Of the time spent communicating each day, 45% is devoted to listening.•Usually a person only remembers about 50% of what is said to them.•After eight hours they forget another 1/2 to 1/3 of what was originally grasped.

So that means you typically forget about 75% of what you hear.

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Why is listening important?• It will help you avoid misunderstandings.• You will get along better with others.• You will learn new and interesting things

about the world.

Listening will help you in…

•School•Relationships•Social groups & organizations•Making informed decisions•On the job

Listening vs. Hearing

Believe it or not, there is a difference between listening and hearing.

Hearing is the reception of sound.

Listening is more, meaning that that you also understand and interpret a sound in a meaningful way.

Listening vs. HearingExample: When you hear music, you may pay attention to the beat while working out or getting ready in the morning. But if you are really listening, you are trying to interpret the meaning of the lyrics. You may also try to interpret the way the artist composed the melodies and sounds throughout the track.

Listening vs. Hearing

The same goes with listening to someone who is speaking. There is a difference to hearing what

they say, allowing it to go through one ear and out the other, and really absorbing what the person is

trying to tell you. You are trying to concentrate and understand the meaning of their words.

What are the barriers to listening?

1. Distractions2. Daydreaming3. Closed-Mindedness4. Overemphasizing the Source5. Listening Only to What is Easy to Understand

Distractions

Distractions can be environmental, such as other people talking, the temperature, time of day, or a radio or television in the background.

Another distraction can be the speaker. This is when the audience or the listener is focusing on how the presentation is presented rather than what they are saying. This could include, the dialect, gestures, or movements that they use when speaking.

Daydreaming

Daydreaming is considered an internal distraction when your mind wonders off and begins thinking of something other than what the speaker is talking about.

One of the reasons we daydream is because we can process information faster than what we can speak it. A speaker can articulate 150 words per minute, but we can listen and understand 380 words per minute!

Closed-Mindedness

Closed-mindedness is when a person refuses to expose themselves to ideas that are different from their own.

Open-mindedness is when a person does more listening and suspends judgment until all facts are presented, which is how listeners should present themselves when someone is speaking.

Overemphasizing the Source

Overemphasizing the source is when the audience member makes judgment based on who the person speaking is rather than the information they are presenting.

One needs to make sure that they are influencing judgments based on the facts rather than personality.

Listening Only to What is Easy to Understand

Sometimes listening only to what is easy for us to understand can create bad habits in the long run because we “tune out” information we don’t understand. You may be confused, but if you don’t take the opportunity to challenge your understanding, you will never improve on listening to more challenging subjects.

• Active listener – The listener participates fully in the communication process. You listen attentively, provide feedback, and strive to understand and remember messages.

• Passive listener – The listener does not actively participate in interactions. They think they can absorb information even when they do not contribute to the interaction. They place the responsibility for successful communication on the speaker.

• Impatient listener – Short bursts of active listening are interrupted by noise and other distractions. They intend to pay attention, but allow their minds to wander.

What kind of listener are you?

How to become an active listener

• Prepare yourself to listen• Expand your vocabulary• Apply the message to yourself• Pick out central ideas• Provide feedback to the speaker

How can we be sure that our audience is engaged?

• eye contact– Are you keeping eye contact with the speaker or are

you looking around the room and shutting your eyes to fall asleep?

• body posture/body language– Are you seated upright in your chair, nodding or

shaking your head, or are you slouching in your seat and creating distractions with movements?

• facial expressions– Are you smiling, frowning, or laughing to agree,

disagree, or to show interest, or are your eyes drooping and have a blank stare?