Understanding How and Why We Listen
the listening process
receiving
it is likely we will receive messages a lot of times as we are communicating
even though we dont actively think about visual cues, it really affects the way we interpret messages
seeing a person's face when we hear their voice allows us to take nonverbal cues from facial expressions and eye contact
noise is a factor that also affects how we receive messages
interpreting
we combine visual and auditory information that we receive and try to make meaning out of it with schemata
when we understand something, we are able to attach meaning by connecting information to previous experiences
through the process of comparing new information with old information we are able to update or revise schemata if we find new info to be relevant and credible
recalling
our ability to recall information is dependent on some of the physiological limits of how memory works
we forget about half of what we hear immediately after hearing it
as our stimuli are organized and interpreted, they make their way to short-term memory where they either expire / forgotten / transferred to long-term memory
evaluating
when we evaluate something, we make judgments about it's credibility, completeness, and worth
we evaluate the worth of a message by making a value judgment about whether we think the message or idea is good/bad, right/wrong or desirable/undesirable
responding
responding means sending verbal and nonverbal messages that indicate attentiveness and understanding or lack thereof
we send verbal and nonverbal feedback when another person is talking and after they're done
people send cues when theyre not listening intentionally or unintenionally
paraphrasing is a responding behavior to show people that you understand what's being communicated
make sure to paraphrase and ask, because interrupting can seem like youre not listening to someone
the importance of listening
to focus on messages sent by other people or noises coming from our surroundings
to better our understanding of other people's communication
to critically evaluate other people's messages
to monitor nonverbal signals
to indicate that we are interested or paying attention
to empathize with others and show we care for them
to engage in negotiation, dialogue, or other exchanges that result in shared understanding of or agreement on an issue
listening types
discriminative listening
focused and usually instrumental type of listening that is primarily physiological and occurs mostly at the receiving stage of the listening process
informational listening
listening with the goals of comprehending and retaining information
not evaluative and is common in teaching and learning contexts ranging from student listening to an informative speech to an out of towner listening to directions to the nearest gas station
critical listening
listening with the goal of analyzing or evaluating a message based on information that can be inferred from context
critical listener evaluates messages and accepts it, rejects it, or decides to withhold judgment and seek more information
empathetic listening
the most challenging form of listening and occurs when we try to understand or experience what a speaker is thinking or feeling
empathic listening is key for dialogue and helps maintain interpersonal relationships
listening styles
people-oriented listeners
concerned about the needs and feelings of others and may get distracted from a specific task or the content of a message in order to address feelings
action-oriented listeners
prefers well-organized, precise and accurate information
can become frustrated when communication is inconsistent or unorganized
content-oriented listeners
analytic and enjoy processing complex messages
like in-depth information and like to learn about multiple sides of a topic or hear multiple perspectives on an issue
time-oriented listeners
concerned with completing tasks and achieving goals
do not like information perceived as irrelevant and like to stick to a timeline
may cut people off and make quick decisions when they think they have enough information