THE POWER OF

LISTENING

WHAT IS LISTENING?
listening (ILA, 1996): the process of receiving,
constructing meaning from, and responding to
spoken and/or nonverbal messages; to hear
something with thoughtful attention
Effective communication is 2-way
depends on speaking and listening

LISTENING VS. HEARING

Hearing- physical process; natural;
passive
Listening- physical & mental process;
active; learned process; a skill
Listening is hard!

You must choose to participate

in the process of listening.

FAST FACTS
We listen at 125-250 wpm, think at
1000-3000 wpm
75% of the time we are distracted,
preoccupied or forgetful
20% of the time, we remember what we
hear
More than 35% of businesses think
listening is a top skill for success
Less than 2% of people have had formal
education with listening

PERCENTAGE OF
COMMUNICATION
Mode of
Communication

Formal Years
of Training

Percentage of
Time Used

Writing

12 years

9%

Reading

6-8 years

16 %

Speaking

1-2 years

30%

Listening

0-few hours

45%

WHY BE A GOOD LISTENER?

Needs of the Customer
To be recognized and remembered
To feel valued
To feel appreciated
To feel respected
To feel understood
To feel comfortable about a want or need

BARRIERS TO
LISTENING
Equate With
Hearing
Uninteresting
Topics
Speakers Delivery
External
Distractions
Mentally Preparing
Response

Listening for Facts

Personal Concerns
Personal Bias
Language/Culture
Differences
Faking Attention

BAD LISTENING HABITS

Criticizing the subject or the speaker
Getting over-excited
Listening only for facts
Not taking notes OR outlining everything
Creating distraction
Letting emotional words block message
Wasting time difference between speed of
speech and speed of thought

IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING
As the person climbs the ladder of his/her career, the time
spent on listening increases.
Listening skills plays a vital role in the career success, whether
as a general manager, sales person, personnel manager, etc. For
E.g: The manager who can listen to his subordinates attentively and
effectively can understand their problems and motivate them for
higher performance.
A lot of misunderstandings takes place because of Poor listening.
Proper listening helps in avoiding negative emotions like
hatred, jealousy, anger, etc. in a Business Organization
Proper listening assures the speaker that the listener is
sincere and can be trusted.
Listening is very essential for learning. We can say, No Listening
No Learning. Listening helps to learning new ideas and opinions
which can be used for the enhancement of the organizational
growth.

TYPE OF LISTENING
1. Pretending Listening: When a person pretends to listen,
listening does not take place, but just hearing takes place.
2. Selective Listening: It refers to selecting the desired part and
ignoring the undesired part of the message. This type of
listening restrains further learning.
3. Attentive Listening: It involves paying attention on the words
that are being spoken rather than understanding the head and
heart of the person speaking.
4. Emphatic Listening: It refers to listening not only through ears
but also through eyes and heart. It helps in understanding the
person fully, deeply both emotionally as well as intellectually.
5. Intuitive Listening: It refers to listening through intuitive mind
by silencing the other internal dialogues going on
simultaneously. The intuitive mind is achieved when a person is
free from internal dialogues that prevents the full impact of the
message and retards the process of mutual influence. This type
of listening can be achieved with a little practice of spiritual
exercise.

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE
LISTENING
Stop talking while the speaker is speaking, as we
cannot listen while talking.
Free your body and mind from negative emotions which
may interrupt the listening process.
Have a mind free from presumptions and preconceived
ideas by being aware of them.
Avoid external distractions such as playing T.V, ratio and
any other type of external distractions.
Show interest in the speakers speech and make the
speaker feel comfortable with a smiling face so that
he/she can communicate frankly and fearlessly.
Give sufficient time for the speaker to clarify his/her
point.
Avoid premature evaluation to avoid judgment.
Be in the present and do not think of the past or future.

IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING IN
MEETINGS, COMMITTEES AND
CONFERENCES
Meetings, committees and conferences are the events in
which just one person speaks at a time. Hence, effective
listening is very important in these events.
Effective listening plays an important role in meetings,
committees and conferences. It has the following
advantages:
Helps to generate new ideas.
Boosts Creativity and innovation.
Motivates the speaker to present in a better way.
Helps in maintaining proper environment.
Saves overall time.
Contributes a lot in the education of the various persons.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
POOR LISTENER AND EFFECTIVE LISTENER
POOR LISTENER
Interrupts the speaker.
Listens for facts.
Takes the verbal message
Unconsciously
aggressive.
Attempts to judge quickly.
Hears the desired
message and leaves the
undesired message.

EFFECTIVE
LISTENER
Encourages others to
talk.
Listens for the central
idea.
Takes the emotional
contents of the verbal
message.
Passively alert.
Suspends the judgment
for the time being.
Listens to the whole
message.