Introduction

Listening is the ability to capture, receive, and understand important parts of information, a message, or a lecture being delivered, especially through the spoken medium. Listening is different from hearing. The way to become a good listener is to practice ‘active listening’. This involves making a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, to understand the total message being sent. It takes a lot of concentration and determination to achieve this. Most people believe they are good listeners without considering the important differences between hearing and listening. The ability to hear is typically innate, but the ability to listen well is a skill that must be developed and practiced. Listening means paying attention and making a conscious effort to process what you hear. Regrettably, we often take our ability to listen for granted, not knowing that it plays a major role in good communication.

Why is Listening Important?

• It is for obtaining information.
• It is the best method for understanding.
• It could afford enjoyment.
• It enhances learning.
• It enhances direction and proper reaction.
• It reflects a cordial relationship and respect for the speaker.

Three Basic Listening Types

1. Competitive or Combative Listening

This happens when we are more interested in promoting our point of view than in understanding or exploring someone else’s view. We either listen for openings to take the floor or for flaws or weak points we can attack. As we pretend to pay attention, we are impatiently waiting for an opening or internally formulating our rebuttal and planning a comeback that will flaw the speaker’s argument and make us the victor. This usually happens in debates or arguments and may be counterproductive if not well managed.

2. Passive or Attentive Listening

In this type of listening, we genuinely listen and make efforts to verify the validity of the speaker’s claims or even contribute to what has been delivered. However, active reasoning or engaging the intellect for critical follow-up is absent—every word is accepted without further interrogation and critical evaluation. Lazy students often fall into this category. They simply reproduce what their teachers say and recount class examples without adding any creative input.

3. Active or Reflective listening

This is the single most useful and important listening skill. In active listening, we are genuinely interested in understanding what the other person is thinking, feeling, wanting, or what the message means. We are active in checking our understanding before responding to our new message. We restate or paraphrase our understanding of the message and reflect it to the sender for verification. This verification or feedback process is what distinguishes active listening and makes it effective. In the context of a teacher-student relationship, feedback can include the student providing innovative answers and examples that the teacher had not previously considered.

Conditions for Effective Listening

Effective listening requires the following:

• Maintain eye contact with the lecturer or speaker: Look at the speaker directly, although you may need to take notes as well.
• Put aside distracting thoughts and environmental factors: Do not let your mind wander or be distracted by someone shuffling pages near you. If the classroom is too hot or too cold, try to remedy that situation if you can. The solution may involve dressing more appropriately for the room temperature.
• Do not prepare an attack ahead of delivery: Preparing an attack will hinder your understanding of the lecture. Try to remain objective and open-minded.
• Read the speaker’s gestures in addition to their speech: Watch body language and note it along with the words used. This helps you grasp the real meaning of what is being said. Facial expressions are a vital component of communication.
• Avoid side conversations with your colleagues in the lecture room.
• Focus on content, not digressions: Pay attention to the content (what is being said) rather than digressions such as a teacher’s stories or personal experiences. Sometimes, such seeming digressions may illustrate the content. The listener must be sensitive to this.
• Treat listening as a challenging mental task: Listening to a lecture is not a passive act. You need to concentrate on what is said to process the information accordingly.
• Stay active by asking mental questions: Active listening keeps you engaged. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you listen: What key point is the lecturer making? How does this fit with what I know from previous lectures? How is this lecture organized? Show that you are listening by using your body language and gestures to convey your attention. Nod occasionally, smile, and use other facial expressions to stay alert and engaged.
• Provide feedback: Reflect on what is being said and ask questions for clarification. Paraphrase what has been said and attempt to provide innovative contributions and examples to support the speaker when they have finished speaking.
• Defer judgment and respond appropriately: Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the speaker and limits your understanding of the message. Allow the speaker to finish. Do not interrupt with counter arguments. Active listening is a model for respect and understanding. You gain information and perspective without attacking or undermining the speaker. Be candid, open, and honest in your response. Assert your opinions respectfully and treat the other person as you would want to be treated.
• Observe tonality shifts, rate of speech, and other auditory changes: Note if these elements are changing too fast or abnormally. Many people stress keywords or use different tonalities to emphasize particular statements when necessary.
• Shift places if you are being distracted by colleagues or uncomfortable: If your seat is too low, too high, or too far from the speaker, move if possible.
• Do not nurture your ego: Allow others to finish their thoughts before you begin to form a response. Constantly interrupting fellow listeners or the speaker can hinder effective listening.
• Focus on keywords and phrases in the speaker’s message: Pick out keywords and phrases to maintain your focus in case you drift off. Use these keywords to build up your notes.

Factors that Hinder Active Listening: Speaker Inputs

• Low voice volume
• Complex words, unnecessary details, and absence of a specific focus
• Forgetting the purpose of the discussion and excessive digressions
• Allowing body language, such as scornful looks or anger, to interfere with the verbal message
• Being too concerned with the listener rather than the message being passed

Factors that Hinder Active Listening: Listener Inputs

• Being preoccupied with other thoughts
• Being too interested in what you will contribute when the speaker is done
• Countering the speaker’s points or seeking means to do so
• Being preoccupied with personal beliefs
• Having negative preconceived impressions about the speaker
• Evaluating the speaker before they are finished
• Failing to ask for clarification when privileged to do so

Levels of Communication

Listening effectively is difficult because people vary in their communication skills and how clearly they express themselves, and often have different purposes for interacting. The chief types of interaction or levels of communication also add to the difficulty. If we do not address the appropriate elements, we will not be very effective and can make the situation worse. As previously mentioned, there is a real distinction between merely hearing the words and truly listening for the message. When we listen effectively, we understand what the person is thinking and/or feeling from their perspective. It is as if we were standing in the other person’s shoes, seeing through their eyes, and listening through their ears. And viewpoints may differ, and we may not necessarily agree with the person, but by listening, we understand from their perspective. To listen effectively, we must be actively involved in the communication process and not just listening passively.

Conclusion

Listening is a crucial element of the communication process that also includes speaking, reading, and writing. Yet, very little time (if any) is devoted to teaching people the skills they need to become better listeners. We learn in elementary school how to write, read, and speak, but virtually no class time is spent teaching techniques to make listening more effective. While the other three modes of communication are important, listening deserves at least as much attention in the skill-building process. The best way to be an active listener. Therefore, strive to be one!

Exercises

1. Listening is the ability to capture, receive, and understand important parts of information delivered through especially the _______ (a) spoken medium (b) written medium (c) listening medium (d) reading medium
2. The ability to listen is (a) innate (b) doubtful (c) developed and practiced (d) bestowed
3. Which is false about the importance of listening? (a) It is for obtaining information. (b) It is the best method for understanding. (c) It enhances direction and proper reaction. (d) It reflects disrespect for the speaker.
4. The best type of listening is (a) Competitive or Combative Listening (b) Passive or Attentive Listening (c) Active or Reflective Listening
5. Competitive or combative listening does not involve (a) interest in promoting one’s point of view (b) understanding or exploring someone else’s view (c) internally formulating our rebuttal (d) seeking openings to take the floor or flaws or weak points
6. Listening cannot be hindered by the speaker’s (a) low voice volume (b) complex words, unnecessary details, and absence of a specific focus (c) excessive digressions (d) aptness and precision
7. Impediments to active listening do not include (a) being preoccupied with
8. Impediments to active listening do not include (a) being preoccupied with other thoughts (b) being too interested in what you will contribute when the speaker is done (c) having negative preconceived impressions about the speaker (d) asking for clarifications when privileged to do so
9. Conditions for effective listening include (a) shifting places when necessary (b) observing the tonality shifts, rate of speech, and such auditory changes (c) deferring judgment and responding appropriately (d) providing inconsequential feedback

For Further Reading

Burley-Allen, M. (1995). The Forgotten Skill: A Self-Teaching Guide (2nd Edition). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

See also.

Top Basic Skills of Communication in English