HEARING / LISTENING SKILLS - CORRECT USE OF TWO EARS ~ You probably spend more time using your two ears for listening skills than any other kind of skill. Like other skills, listening takes practice. Q. What does it mean to really listen? A. Real listening is an active process that has three basic steps : 1. Hearing. Hearing just means listening enough to catch what the speaker is saying. For example, say you were listening to a report on zebras, and the speaker mentioned that no two are alike. If you can repeat the fact, then you have heard what has been said. 2. Understanding. The next part of listening happens when you take what you have heard and understand it in your own way. Lets go back to that report on zebras. When you hear that no two are alike, think about what that might mean. You might think, Maybe this means that the pattern of stripes is different for each zebra. 3. Judging. After you are sure you understand what the speaker has said, think about whether it makes sense. Do you believe what you have heard? You might think, How could the stripes to be different for every zebra? But then again, the fingerprints are different for every person. I think this seems believable. The Four Stages of Listening : a. Sensing ~ The sense of hearing being employed to take in the message. ~ Our minds have the ability to listen four times faster than a person can talk. One challenge to effective listening would be focusing our minds on hearing what is said rather than the several other things going on in our lives at any given moment. ~ To improve the skill, look directly at the person talking. As you hear the words said, also start reading the body language. Listen for tone and intonation. With advancement in the art, you will be able to notice even more subtle body language such as pupil movement. ~ On the flip side, if your taking part in public speaking, your audience will face the same challenge you do with the art of listening. Understanding this will be an aid to developing and improving your public speaking skills. b. Understanding ~ ~ The processing and interpreting of the message. ~ Rather than thinking what your going to say next, try to think of what is being said from the standpoint of the communicator. Think of yourself as their advocate and your purpose is to help everyone understand what the speaker is trying to communicate. c. Evaluating ~ ~ Appraising the message. ~ Tap into the filing cabinet of your little gray box on conveniently mounted on the top of your body. First sort and classify what you’re hearing. What are the implications, the applications, benefit or damage of the information? ~ You will have plenty of time to draw a conclusion. You will only have a few seconds to quickly make a fool of yourself however. So put prejudices aside. Stifle any desire to respond emotionally. ~ The cliché, consider the source is not only outdated, it could be costly advise to follow. I have worked with numerous nurses aids who for what ever reason choose not to progress beyond their station in the health care field. Some have developed their knowledge and assessment skills beyond that of many nurses. For me personally, when they bring a bit of information to me I take heed. ~ I cannot tell how many times lives have been saved because of listening to their input. ~ For future public speaking jobs, it is vital you not only learn about your audience, you need to practice the art of listening on them. Find out what floats their boats. Find out how best to reach them. d. Responding ~ ~ Acting on the message. ~ You will benefit little if you do not act on the direction or advice. A simple credo in this regard, there are three things a true professional does not do when being given counsel or advice. Justify, minimize or shift the blame. ~ Reasonableness in the art of listening dictates that there is always more to learn on a subject. ~ If your public speaking is reasonable, it will be easy for the audience to be reasonable in listening to you. Tips for being a Good Listener : § Give your full attention on the person who is speaking. Dont look out the window or at what else is going on in the room. Dont miss anything. § Make sure your mind is focused, too. It can be easy to let your mind wander if you think you know what the person is going to say next, but you might be wrong! If you feel your mind wandering, change the position of your body and try to concentrate on the speakers words. § Let the speaker finish before you begin to talk. Speakers appreciate having the chance to say everything they would like to say without being interrupted. When you interrupt, it looks like you arent listening, even if you really are. § Let yourself finish listening before you begin to speak! You cant really listen if you are busy thinking about what you want say next. § Listen for main ideas. The main ideas are the most important points the speaker wants to get across. They may be mentioned at the start or end of a talk, and repeated a number of times. Pay special attention to statements that begin with phrases such as My point is... or The thing to remember is... § Ask questions. If you are not sure you understand what the speaker has said, just ask. It is a good idea to repeat in your own words what the speaker said so that you can be sure your understanding is correct. For example, you might say, When you said that no two zebras are alike, did you mean that the stripes are different on each one? § Give feedback. Sit up straight and look directly at the speaker. Now and then, nod to show that you understand. At appropriate points you may also smile, frown, laugh, or be silent. These are all ways to let the speaker know that you are really listening. Remember, you listen with your face as well as your ears! Thinking fast Remember: time is on your side! Thoughts move about four times as fast as speech. With practice, while you are listening you will also be able to think about what you are hearing, really understand it, and give feedback to the speaker. Final Tip : Have Patience and Tolerance to Listen to Contestant / Opponent Arguments, Note Weaknesses / Missing Links and then Rebut Point Wise on all Issues / Matters raised.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 10:16:43 +0000
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