Shingai's Sandpit

Section outline

• Active listening
  

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  Active Listening

  

  In this topic we will be examining:

  The active listening techniques to gain information in an interactive situation.
  

  This topic relates to unit standard outcome requirements 2 of the course.

  When you have gone through all the material in this topic and completed the activities you should go to the assessments tab and complete the relevant course assessment.

  • Activity

    Self-evaluation: Are you a good listener?

    Think about a time when you discussed some issues with another person.  Choose a conversation that was quite lengthy.  Go over the conversation in your mind and then read each question.  Tick the appropriate yes/no answer.

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    Listening skills evaluation File

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    Active Listening

    Active listening is a communication technique that requires a listener to explain what they hear to the person who is giving the information to them.  Active listening is important because it highlights that the listener is truly hearing what is being said, and is interested in what is being said.

    

  • Active listening techniques

    Various techniques can be used to listen actively when communicating with another person.

    1. Attending

    • Consciously observe the speaker while they are talking (make eye contact)
    • Focus intensely on what they are saying
    • Listen only to them and do not be distracted by other sights and sounds around you.

    2. Paraphrasing

    Paraphrasing means saying something you have heard but using different words or expressions. It shows the speaker that you are listening and that you understand what they have just said.

    You might use phrases like:

    • in other words
    • by that you mean
    • what you are saying is

    3. Summarising

    Summarising is when you repeat only the essential information given by the speaker. It should have fewer words than the original information, but include all the main points made. It is a good way to check that what the speaker was saying. Paraphrasing rewords a sentence or short piece of information from a speaker whereas summarising rewords the information and also reduces the information to include just the essential points.

    You might use phrases like:

    • I think you are referring to …
    • If I understand you correctly, you want …
    • What I hear you saying is …..

    4. Questioning

    Always ask questions if you are unsure what the speaker is saying. Use “open questions” which cannot be answered with just a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. In this way, you will be able to gather more information.

    5. Reflective Listening

    Reflective listening reflects the emotions of the speaker through your words and facial expressions. In order to do this, you need to understand the ideas behind what the person is saying and reflect the idea back to the speaker to make sure you have understood it correctly.

    If they are happy about what they are talking about then your response will reflect happiness too. If they are frowning then you can mirror their expression to show you understand the feelings behind their comments.

    6. Responding to Non-verbal Cues

    As well as listening with your ears and mind you also need to “listen with your eyes”. This means watching for non-verbal signals the speaker gives which will add to the meaning of their words.

  • Activity

    Active listening techniques

    In small groups, have one person doing the speaking and the rest of the group actively listening. Those who are the “listeners” need to summarise the active listening techniques that they used during the activity.

    Change speakers and repeat the activity. You need to do this until you can write your brief description with ease and until you have used as many of the active listening techniques as possible.

  • Active listening skills

    The following list explains the important listening skills.

    Use eye contact to control visual distractions (eyes)

    • Listen with more than your ears.
    • People give out non-verbal cues, many of which take place in the facial area.
    • By observation of body language you may learn what the speaker “feels” about what they are saying rather than the words alone.
    • ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
    • By looking at the person you are not distracted by other things going on around you.

    Control your mouth. Become an observer (mouth)

    • Avoid the trap of becoming “one who speaks and one who listens to himself speak”.

    Listen all the way through (ears)

    • Do not jump to conclusions.

    Learn to use your thinking time wisely (idea cloud)

    • Train your mind to scan like radar for key ideas.
    • Try to identify the theme of the other person’s message and check your grasp of facts through use of questions.
    • We speak at 125-140 wpm, but think 5-7 times faster. This makes listening very difficult as we can easily be distracted. External distractions involve people and the environment around you. Internal distractions involve your thoughts and daydreams, and are more difficult to control.

    Listen with an open mind (arrow in)

    • Everyone’s range of interests has its limits so we have a tendency to resist ideas that are of no personal interest to us.

    Be aware of your screens of prejudice (screen)

    • Guard against the tendency to exercise emotional censorship – to blank out or skip over ideas which we would rather not hear.
  • Are you listening?

    The following are some clues when someone is not listening:

     Starts tapping on a computer

     Looks dazedly over your shoulder

     Looks around the room and interrupts you with irrelevant comments

     Fiddles with paperclips, pens or whatever is on the desk

     Stares into space

     Hums and haws repeatedly in a bored tone

     Asks you a question which you have just answered

     Yawns and consults a watch continually

  • Activity

    Barriers to listening

    Go to the feedback activity below and answer the following questions:

    1. What stops us from listening well?
    2. What clues do you get that someone is not listening to you, apart from the one listed above?
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    Barriers to listening Feedback

    Mark as done
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    Types of poor listener

    There are several types of poor listener in the business environment.  As you read the descriptions below, decide if you – or anyone you know – fit into the categories.

  • Topic forum: Poor listener

    Go to the topic forum. Choose ONE type of listener that you encounter most and suggest strategies to counter the behaviour.

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    Poor listener - Forum

    Mark as done
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    Tips for Active Listening: dialogue cards File

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  • Responding to information

    If you have been actively listening then you will be able to respond appropriately as follows.

    Verbal responses

    Verbal (or spoken) responses should be clear and accurate and should answer any questions or comments that have been made.

    Actions

    Sometimes when we are listening we will have been asked to perform some sort of action, eg turn the TV up.

    Simple actions can be carried out straight away. If the action to be taken will be at a later date or if it has several steps to it then it is a good idea to confirm with the speaker exactly what they are expecting and it could be worth taking a written note of what action is expected and when the speaker expects it to be completed by.

    You will probably need to use your paraphrasing, questing and clarifying skills.

    Culturally appropriate responses

    Remember that the attitudes and beliefs of the person you are responding to need to be respected in your response. You will probably use informal language with your friends but more formal, polite language with people you do not know so well.

    It is important that you use plain English and avoid slang terms when talking with someone from another culture. If you are in an unfamiliar environment and are not sure of the protocols followed by that culture then observe what others are doing or ask someone else what is expected.

    Responding to emotions

    The best way to take a speaker’s emotions into account is to mirror them, eg if the speaker is sad then you should sympathise with them. If they are happy and smiling then smile.

    You can pick up the emotions of the speaker by thinking about the topic of their conversation, observing their facial expressions and being aware of the context of the situation.

  •   Think about...

    Non-verbal cues

    When responding to information, you should also give appropriate non-verbal responses. Can you think of several non-verbal cues that are suitable when responding to different situations?

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    Types of poor listener H5P

    There are several types of poor listener in the business environment.  As you read the descriptions below, decide if you – or anyone you know – fit into the categories.
    

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    Tips for active listening H5P