What Did You Say?

What Did You Say?

by: Craig Warner

INTRODUCTION

People tend to put little energy into the art of listening. The text, Management Communication, written by Arthur H. Bell and Dayle M. Smith contains interesting insight on this matter. According to the text, "We mistakenly assume that hearing is the same as listening."

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEARING AND LISTENING

Bell and Smith state in their text that, "Hearing is the physical capacity to sense sounds. Whether the speaker is speaking in Japanese, Greek, or Laotian, those present can hear the words spoken. What those sounds mean, of course, and how they are understood makes all the difference for understanding them. The perception and meaning and the sometimes difficult task of achieving and understanding both require the power to listen." The website www.dictionary.com says to listen is, "to pay attention." People need to understand what listening is and the different types of listening.

TYPES OF LISTENING

Page 356 of the text Management Communication explores the four different types of listening:

1. Passive Listening

2. Attentive Listening

3. Interactive Listening

4. Empathetic Listening

Passive Listening

"In this form of listening, we are not required to make any response, either verbal or nonverbal. We are free to "tune in" or "tune out" as our mood strikes us. We often let our minds wander to associated ideas and images."

Attentive Listening

"In this form of listening, we consciously try to focus on what the speaker is saying. We make an effort not to let our attention wander.

Interactive Listening

"In this form of listening, we are expected to react verbally and nonverbally to what we are hearing. If the speaker says something surprising, we are expected to show our surprise. Not to do so would indicate a failure in interactive listening."

Empathetic Listening

"This most intense form of listening has all of the characteristics of interactive listening with the addition of the listener's effort to understand and feel connected to the emotional content of the speaker's communicationÐ'...In empathetic listening, the listener is not only reactive but also participative".

People should strategize to attain any of the aforementioned levels of listening.

STRATEGIES FOR LISTENING

Bell and Smith list four self-explainable strategies to improve listening skills:

1. Listen to the whole message

2. Listen for factual information

3. Listen for feeling

4. Give the speaker signs of interest and understanding

These are the techniques used to implement my active listening plan.

LISTENING