Improving Your Listening Skills

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Improving Your Listening Skills

• UI100 First-Year Seminar

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Listening

• Conduct Listening Assessment
• What did the assessment tell you about yourself?
• Were you surprised?

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Listening

• Listening involves the skill of grasping and
  interpreting a messages genuine meaning.
• Listening is an activity it requires attention,
  energy, and skill.

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Ten Keys to Effective Listening
Keys Poor Listener Good Listener
1. Listen actively Is passive, laid back Ask questions paraphrases what is said
2. Find areas of interest Tunes out dry subjects Looks for opportunities, new learning
3. Resist distractions Is easily distracted Fights distractions tolerates bad habits knows how to concentrate
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Ten Keys to Effective Listening
Keys Poor Listener Good Listener
4. Capitalize on the fact that thought is faster than speech Tends to daydream with slow speakers Challenges, anticipates, summarizes listens between lines to tone of voice
5. Be responsive Is minimally involved Nods shows interest, positive feedback
6. Judge content, not delivery Tunes out if delivery is poor Judges content skips over delivery errors
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Ten Keys to Effective Listening
Keys Poor Listener Good Listener
7. Hold ones fire Has preconceptions argues Does not judge until comprehension is complete
8. Listen for ideas Listens for facts Listens to central themes
9. Work at listening No energy output faked attention Works hard exhibits active body state, eye contact
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Ten Keys to Effective Listening
Keys Poor Listener Good Listener
10. Exercise ones mind Resists difficult material in favor of light, recreational material Uses heavier material as exercise for the mind.
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Listening

• Most people do not listen effectively!
• Concentrate on what they are going to say next
  rather than what a person is saying.

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Listening

• The act of good listening affirms others, builds
  trust, and suppresses personal judgments that
  shape perceptions.
• Active listening is necessary in all aspects of
  your life.
• What aspects might that include?

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Listening

• If you become a leader in your organization, why
  might listening be important?

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Listening

• Conversation a vocal competition in which the
  one who is catching his breath is called the
  listener. Anonymous
• Bore, n. A person who talks when you wish him
  to listen. Ambrose Bierce