Small Group CommunicationSmall Group Communication

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AgendaAgenda

• Listening Skills Lecture– The Good, The Bad, The UGLYUGLY

Listening and Ethics

• How responsive a listener are you?– It is our ethical responsibility to listen

• Are you prepared to listen?– Listening is the fundamental process through which we

initiate and maintain relationships

• How well do you use your listening time?– The percentage of information you retain when listening

indicates how good of a listener you are

• How much of a role do you play in ensuring the integrity of a message?– Chain of command transmission or serial communication

ModelModel of Communicationof Communication

Message ChainMessage Chain

Listening vs. HearingListening vs. Hearing

Hearing occurs automatically and requires no conscious effortA natural and passive process

Listening is a deliberate process through which we seek to understand and retain aural stimuliDepends on a complex set of skills that must be

acquiredWho we are affects what we listen toIf information is important to us, we work harder to

retain it

Listening LevelsListening Levels

Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY

• The ineffective listener criticizes the speaker’s topic by calling it “uninteresting”

• Poor listeners attempt to justify bad behavior.

• Good listeners try to find some fact or idea that has value.

• Only after listening to the entire presentation would the good listener evaluate the presentation.

Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY

• The ineffective listener criticizes the speaker’s delivery

• Poor listeners feel justified not listening when they find fault

• Good listeners notice faults, but concentrate on the message.

Listening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY

• The ineffective listener interrupts to challenge or disagree with the speaker, or mentally builds arguments against the speaker’s ideas

• Poor listeners are easily provoked to disagree.

• Good listeners pay attention to the whole idea before they agree or disagree with the speaker.

Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY

• The ineffective listener listens only for factsfacts.

• Good listeners listen for themesthemes, or meaningful principles being expressed. Not isolated facts.

Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY

• The ineffective listener takes detailed outlines while listening

• Poor listeners become so involved in taking notes, that they do not hear the message the speaker is conveying.

• Good listeners take down only key ideas, words, and phrases to ensure they hear and understand the message being conveyed.

Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY

• The ineffective listener creates distractions while the speaker is talking.

• Avoids listening to difficult material

• Reacts emotionally to some messages by tuning out the speaker

• Pretends to listen

• Tends to daydream during long presentations.

Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY

• The effective listener can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relationships among components of the listening process across a variety of contexts, including the ability to receive, interpret, and respond to messages.

Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY

• The effective listener…

• Senses:Senses: Hears what is important

• Interprets:Interprets: Assigns meaning to what is seen,

heard, and felt.

• Evaluates:Evaluates: Determines speaker credibility and

message importance

• Responds:Responds: Reacts to speech usually through

nonverbal cues

• Remember:Remember: Retain parts of speech in memory

Unethical ListenersUnethical Listeners

Fraudulent – pseudolisteners (nodders) Monopolistic – always want to be listened to, but never

want to listen Completers – fill in missed gaps with manufactured

information Selective – zero in only on parts that interest them Avoiders – close their ears to information they’d rather not

deal with Defensive – assume others are criticizing Attackers – wait for you to make a mistake

FeedbackFeedback

Feedback is essential to improving your listening skillsEvaluative feedbackPositive evaluative feedbackNegative evaluative feedbackFormative feedbackNonevaluative feedbackProbingUnderstandingSupportive feedback“I” messages

Effects of FeedbackEffects of Feedback

The feedback given by the respondent in any encounter strongly influences the direction and outcome of the interaction

Feedback usually increases the accuracy with which information is passed from person to person, as well as increases the time required to transmit information

The Role of Critical ThinkingThe Role of Critical Thinking Critical thinking

The careful thought process about what another person has just said to you

The evaluation of the believability of the spoken message

Be ready to challenge and raise questions about what you are listening to

Examine the evidence on which a conclusion is based and establish if valid or contains weaknesses and inconsistencies

Listen carefully in an effort to determine if what you are listening to makes sense and is worth retaining or acting upon

Technology’s Influence on ListeningTechnology’s Influence on Listening

Advances in technology continue to add listening wrinklesFace to face – real-time, synchronous listeningTelephone – option of not having to share the same space

when engage in real-time conversationsVoice mail – serial conversations with people in different

locations and who don’t hear our words when we speak them; asynchronous listening

Caller ID – allows us to decide who we want to listen toCall waiting – makes it possible for us to not miss a call

from someone important to us

Increasing Your Ear PowerIncreasing Your Ear Power

Become aware of the importance and effects of listening

Become aware of the importance and effects of feedback

Realize that effective listening includes both nonjudgmental and critical responses

Focus Your AttentionFocus Your Attention

DistractionsEmotions: Red-flag wordsPhysical factorsOther peopleSpeech-thought differential

Constantly focus your attentionAttention checksNonverbal behaviors that

support listeningCulture can interfere

Set Appropriate GoalsSet Appropriate Goals

Know what you are listening forTo understand contentTo retain contentTo analyze contentTo evaluate contentTo develop empathetic relationships

Adapt goals to each situation or experience

Listening to Understand IdeasListening to Understand Ideas

Locate the central concepts in the speaker’s message

Work to recall the concepts that are most important

Seek to identify key words and phrases that will help you accurately summarize the concepts being discussed

Listening to Retain InformationListening to Retain Information

Focus your attention

Learn how to make certain you have understood what you have heard

Aids to retain informationRepetitionParaphraseVisualization

Listening to Analyze and EvaluateListening to Analyze and Evaluate

Reserve judgment until the comprehension of the situation is complete

Realize you have a choice; do not feel compelled to join the crowd

Listen between the lines

Listening Empathetically and ActivelyListening Empathetically and Actively Empathetic listening can be used to help individuals

understand their own situations and problemsTry to internalize the other person’s feelings and see life

through his or her eyesAcknowledge the seriousness of people’s problemsDraw them out so that they can discuss a problemShow them that you understand the problem

Paraphrase their statements Genuine nonverbal cues

Do not judge; reflect, consider, and restate your impression of the sender’s expressions

Listening to Culture’s InfluenceListening to Culture’s Influence

We need to be more aware of cultural differences in listeningDialogic listening – the awareness of what

happens between people as they respond to each other, work toward shared understanding, and build a relationship

“Culture” can include social, ethnic, organizational, racial, etc.

Reflective-Thinking FrameworkReflective-Thinking Framework A system of decision makingdecision making that is designed to encourage

critical thinking in the group process Reflective-Thinking is generally an agreed-upon structure

consisting of six basic components:

What is the problem-what is it not? What are the facts of the situation? What criteria must the solution meet? What are the possible solutions? Which is the best solution? How can the solution be implemented?

Reflective-Thinking FrameworkReflective-Thinking Framework Reflective thinking is being used when…

The resources of all group members are being usedThe group is using its time to its advantageThe group is emphasizing fact-finding and inquiryMembers are listening to each other and respecting

each otherPressure to conform is being kept to a minimumAtmosphere is supportive, trusting, and cooperative

GROUP THINKGROUP THINK– Groupthink – a dysfunction in which some group members

try to preserve group harmony by suppressing the voicing of the dissenting opinion, or to complete the task quickly

• Groupthink impedes effective group functioning• When all group members try to think alike, no one thinks

very much • It is an extreme method groups use to avoid conflict

– Have you ever censored your own comments because you feared destroying the sense of community in your group?

– Have you ever applied direct pressure to dissenting members in an effort to obtain consensus quickly?

The EndThe End