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AECC-2 English MIL Communication

Edited by

Dr. Haroon Rasheed

Department of English

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu, Arabi -Farsi University, Lucknow

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All -UG Semester II

PAPER 1

AECC-2 English/ MIL Communication

UNIT -3 Listening Skills

Listening skills

Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process.

Listening is key to all effective communication. Without the ability to listen

effectively, messages are easily misunderstood. As a result, communication

breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated.

If there is one communication skill you should aim to master, then listening is it.

Listening is so important that many top employers provide listening

skills training for their employees. This is not surprising when you

consider that good listening skills can lead to better customer

satisfaction, greater productivity with fewer mistakes, and

increased sharing of information that in turn can lead to more

creative and innovative work.

Many successful leaders and entrepreneurs credit their success to

effective listening skills. Richard Branson frequently quotes

listening as one of the main factors behind the success of Virgin.

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Effective listening is a skill that underpins all positive human

relationships.

Spend some time thinking about and developing your

listening skills – they are the building blocks of success.

Good listening skills also have benefits in our personal lives,

including:

A greater number of friends and social networks, improved self-esteem and

confidence, higher grades at school and in academic work, and even better health and general well-being.

Studies have shown that, whereas speaking raises blood pressure, attentive

listening can bring it down.

Listening is Not the Same as Hearing Hearing refers to the sounds that enter your ears. It is a physical process

that, provided you do not have any hearing problems, happens automatically.

Listening, however, requires more than that: it requires focus and

concentrated effort, both mental and sometimes physical as well.

Listening means paying attention not only to the story, but how it is told, the use of language and voice, and how the other person uses his or her

body. In other words, it means being aware of both verbal and non-verbal

messages. Your ability to listen effectively depends on the degree to which you perceive and understand these messages.

Listening is not a passive process. In fact, the listener can, and should, be at

least as engaged in the process as the speaker. The phrase ‘active listening’

is used to describe this process of being fully involved.

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We Spend a lot of Time Listening

Adults spend an average of 70% of their time engaged in some sort of

communication.

Of this, research shows that an average of 45% is spent listening

compared to 30% speaking, 16% reading and 9% writing. (Adler, R. et

al. 2001). That is, by any standards, a lot of time listening. It is

worthwhile, therefore, taking a bit of extra time to ensure that you

listen effectively.

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The Purpose of Listening

There is no doubt that effective listening is an extremely important life

skill. Why is listening so important?

Listening serves a number of possible purposes, and the purposeof listening

will depend on the situation and the nature of the

communication.

• To specifically focus on the messages being communicated, avoiding

distractions and preconceptions.

• To gain a full and accurate understanding into the speakers point of

view and ideas.

• To critically assess what is being said. (See our page on Critical Thinking for more).

• To observe the non-verbal signals accompanying what is being said to enhance understanding.

• To show interest, concern and concentration.

• To encourage the speaker to communicate fully, openly and honestly.

• To develop an selflessness approach, putting the speaker first.

• To arrive at a shared and agreed understanding and acceptance of

both sides views.

• Often our main concern while listening is to formulate ways to

respond. This is not a function of listening. We should try to focus fully

on what is being said and how it's being said in order to more fully

understand the speaker.

Effective listening requires concentration and the use of your other senses

- not just hearing the words spoken.

Listening is not the same as hearing and in order to listen effectively

you need to use more than just your ears.

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Barriers to Effective Listening

To improve the process of effective listening, it can be

helpful to turn the problem on its head and look at barriers

to effective listening, or ineffective listening.

For example, one common problem is that instead of listening

closely to what someone is saying, we often get distracted after a

sentence or two and instead start to think about what we are going to

say in reply or think about unrelated things. This means that we do

not fully listen to the rest of the speaker’s message.

This problem is attributed, in part, to the difference between average

speech rate and average processing rate. Average speech rates are

between 125 and 175 words a minute whereas we can process on

average between 400 and 800 words a minute. It is a common habit

for the listener to use the spare time while listening to daydream or

think about other things, rather than focusing on what the speaker is

saying.

Of course the clarity of what the speaker is saying can also affect

how well we listen. Generally we find it easier to focus if the speaker

is fluent in their speech, has a familiar accent, and speaks at an

appropriate loudness for the situation. It is more difficult, for

example, to focus on somebody who is speaking very fast and very

quietly, especially if they are conveying complex information.

We may also get distracted by the speaker’s personal appearance or by what

someone else is saying, which sounds more interesting.

These issues not only affect you, but you are likely to show your lack of

attention in your body language.

Generally, we find it much harder to control our body language, and

you are likely to show your distraction and/or lack of interest by

lack of eye contact, or posture. The speaker will detect the problem,

and probably stop talking at best. At worse, they may be very

offended or

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upset.

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Types of listening

Here are six types of listening, starting with basic discrimination of sounds and ending in deep communication.

Discriminative listening Discriminative listening is the most basic type of listening, whereby the difference between difference sounds is identified. If you cannot hear differences, then you cannot make sense of the meaning that is expressed by such differences.

We learn to discriminate between sounds within our own language early, and later are unable to discriminate between the phonemes of other languages. This is one reason why a person from one country finds it difficult to speak another language perfectly, as they are unable distinguish the subtle sounds that are required in that language.

Likewise, a person who cannot hear the subtleties of emotional variation in another person's voice will be less likely to be able to discern the emotions the other person is experiencing.

Listening is a visual as well as auditory act, as we communicate much through body language. We thus also need to be able to discriminate between muscle and skeletal movements that signify different meanings.

Comprehension listening The next step beyond discriminating between different sound and sights is to make sense of them. To comprehend the meaning requires first having a lexicon of words at our fingertips and also all rules of grammar and syntax by which we can understand what others are saying.

The same is true, of course, for the visual components of communication, and an understanding of body language helps us understand what the other person is really meaning.

In communication, some words are more important and some less so, and comprehension often benefits from extraction of key facts and items from a long spiel.

Comprehension listening is also known as content listening, informative listening and full listening.

Critical listening Critical listening is listening in order to evaluate and judge, forming opinion about what

is being said. Judgment includes assessing strengths and weaknesses, agreement and

approval.

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This form of listening requires significant real-time cognitive effort as the listener

analyzes what is being said, relating it to existing knowledge and rules, whilst

simultaneously listening to the ongoing words from the speaker. Biased listening Biased listening happens when the person hears only what they want to hear, typically misinterpreting what the other person says based on the stereotypes and other biases that they have. Such biased listening is often very evaluative in nature.

Evaluative listening In evaluative listening, or critical listening, we make judgments about what the other person is saying. We seek to assess the truth of what is being said. We also judge what they say against our values, assessing them as good or bad, worthy or unworthy.

Evaluative listening is particularly pertinent when the other person is trying to persuade us, perhaps to change our behavior and maybe even to change our beliefs. Within this, we also discriminate between subtleties of language and comprehend the inner meaning of what is said. Typically also we weigh up the pros and cons of an argument, determining whether it makes sense logically as well as whether it is helpful to us.

Evaluative listening is also called critical, judgmental or interpretive listening.

Appreciative listening In appreciative listening, we seek certain information which will appreciate, for example that which helps meet our needs and goals. We use appreciative listening when we are listening to good music, poetry or maybe even the stirring words of a great leader.

Sympathetic listening In sympathetic listening we care about the other person and show this concern in the way we pay close attention and express our sorrow for their ills and happiness at their joys.

Empathetic listening When we listen empathetically, we go beyond sympathy to seek a truer understand how others are feeling. This requires excellent discrimination and close attention to the nuances of emotional signals. When we are being truly empathetic, we actually feel what they are feeling.

In order to get others to expose these deep parts of themselves to us, we also need to

demonstrate our empathy in our demeanor towards them, asking sensitively and in a

way that encourages self-disclosure.

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Therapeutic listening In therapeutic listening, the listener has a purpose of not only empathizing with the speaker but also to use this deep connection in order to help the speaker understand, change or develop in some way.

This not only happens when you go to see a therapist but also in many social situations,

where friends and family seek to both diagnose problems from listening and also to help

the speaker cure themselves, perhaps by some cathartic process. This also happens in

work situations, where managers, HR people, trainers and coaches seek to help

employees learn and develop.

Dialogic listening The word 'dialogue' stems from the Greek words 'dia', meaning 'through' and 'logos' meaning 'words'. Thus dialogic listening mean learning through conversation and an engaged interchange of ideas and information in which we actively seek to learn more about the person and how they think.

Dialogic listening is sometimes known as 'relational listening'.

Relationship listening Sometimes the most important factor in listening is in order to develop or sustain a relationship. This is why lovers talk for hours and attend closely to what each other has to say when the same words from someone else would seem to be rather boring.

Relationship listening is also important in areas such as negotiation and sales, where it is helpful if the other person likes you and trusts you.

Characteristics of listening skills :

Good listening skills are essential if you want to maintain successful professional and personal interactions. If you don't listen well, chances are you've experienced some disappointment and frustration in your relationships. Excellent listening means more than simply hearing what's been said. It means paying attention and fully understanding the speaker's point of view. Knowing the characteristics of good listening skills and practicing them can help you improve how you communicate.

Reasons to Listen a reputation as a good listener because professionally and privately people will gravitate towards you, sharing confidences and seeking your advice.

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People listen to get information for work, learning or entertainment. But, surprisingly, most don't listen well. Scott Williams of Wright University, suggests that people only listen to about 25 percent of what they hear. Listening attentively can help you understand people, motivate them and build trust. James Manktelow, CEO of Mindtools, suggests that good listeners build stronger relationships with those around them because speakers appreciate knowing they successfully transmitted their message. It's beneficial to develop

How to Listen Effectively The most basic listening skill is paying attention. This means maintaining focus on what the speaker is saying as well as how it is said. Don't get distracted by other things and don't allow interruptions. For example, when you reply to a text message, you can't pay full attention to the speaker. Keep your eyes and your mind focused on the speaker. Sitting up straight or changing your position can help keep your mind from wandering. Think about what the speaking is saying and why she's saying it. Don't begin formulating a response until you're sure you've fully grasped the intended message.

Show You're Listening Good listeners make the speaker aware they are listening. Turn toward the speaker, maintain eye contact, smile and nod to indicate your engagement. Don't interrupt, even if it's to add a supportive comment or ask a question, unless the speaker pauses. If you do ask a question or make a comment, don't shift to a new topic, warns Dianne Schilling, in her article, "10 Steps To Effective Listening," on the "Forbes" magazine website. For example, if your spouse is describing the failure of a big business deal she experienced, don't start sharing details about your frustration at work.

Giving Positive Feedback The best way to connect with the speaker is to demonstrate you heard and understood the message by giving good feedback. Show you understood, not only the message, but what the speaker was feeling. Observing the speaker's nonverbal cues helps. For example, crossing the arms, frowning and raising the voice usually indicate anger. Try reframing what was said. For example, saying, "I know you were disappointed that I arrived so late and you worried about me," shows you were listening and empathize with the speaker's feelings

How to improve our listening Skills :

1. Demonstrate Your Listening Skills By Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing and summarizing are both fantastic communication skills that

help you to make sense of a speaker’s points and also allow you to

demonstrate that you are listening closely.

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For example, if your colleague talks for five minutes about her current

difficulties on your shared project, you might try saying something like “So,

you’re feeling very frustrated that your feedback isn’t being taken into

account, and you’re hoping to organize our team in a way that facilitates

more frank discussion”.

Although this sounds like a simple listening technique, it can really show

that you

“get” the other person. It can also go a long way toward preventing

misunderstands and misattributions.

2. Make Consistent Eye Contact

Learning how to listen isn’t just about what you say to others. Body language

also has a major role to play.

Although it’s off-putting if you stare at your interlocutor and refuse to blink

until they’ve stopped speaking, it is important to hold their gaze at least

most of the time. It is an encouraging way to communicate interest,

understanding, and focus.

Be sure to tailor your eye contact to the needs of others, too. If you’re dealing

with someone anxious, cut back on direct stares and focus on other active

listening skills that are less confronting to shy people.

3. Adopt An Open Posture

Another tool in your attentive listening skill set involves paying close

attention to the way you’re standing or sitting.

For example, it’s common knowledge that folding your arms, tapping your

feet or pursuing your lips are all ways of showing displeasure, impatience or

disinterest.

In contrast, effective listening can be communicated by a soft, open posture.

Keep your body loose, and consider learning forward to demonstrate that

you’re eagerly taking in information.

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4. Ask Open Questions

Closed questions are one that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”,

while open questions are designed to promote longer, more thoughtful

responses.

When you ask closed questions it can seem like you just want to get specific

information from the other person. Or, that you only have limited time for

them. On the other hand, open questions show your desire to engage in a

proper discussion and your interest in getting into the speaker’s mindset.

5. Remember Past Details

Take any opportunity you can to add a comment that proves you have

listened and remembered something from a past conversation. This makes

people feel valued and proves that you really do pay attention.

For example, even something small like remembering that someone doesn’t

like a particular type of coffee or that they’ve once visited a specific country

can help to cement a mutual bond.

6. Show You’re A Good Listener By Nodding

As with eye contact, nodding and smiling can be easily overlooked when

you’re thinking about how to improve listening skills, as you might just take

it for granted that you do this when you’re talking.

However, if you monitor your body language, you might realize you nod and

smile a lot less often than you assume. This is the best way to show you

agree and want to hear more, as it doesn’t require interrupting in any way.

7. Communicate Active Listening With Mirroring

Further to the above tips on body language, it can be useful to mirror the

posture of the person you’re speaking to.

While this can be obvious if taken to extremes, it is an excellent

interpersonal skill that works at a subconscious level to convince your

conversation partner that you are empathizing with them.

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Try small mirroring tricks, such as crossing your legs in the same direction

as the other person or folding your hands in the same way.

8. Listen To Understand

Finally, it’s vital that you not only act like you’re listening to the other person

but that you also bring an authentic desire to listen to your conversations.

Many people are just waiting to interject, change the subject to themselves

or air their views, and this is obvious to others (even when the speaker

thinks it isn’t).

If you go into every interaction with curiosity and genuine interest in others,

this will come across in the way your presence feels to the other person.

Academic Listening

Academic Listening involves the reception and understanding of spoken material with an educational purpose. This

area has many forms, including academic lectures, debates and seminar conversations, and regularly utilizes a high level of language structure and vocabulary. For this reason, many students are easily able to digest informal conversations, but struggle when an academic filter is connected. Universidad del Rosario’s ASK Repository will provide assistance in this vital area of language learning by giving strategies and tips regarding such topics as note taking, understanding new vocabulary, prediction, and pre-lecture strategies in order to bolster confidence for students at all levels.

Subcategories of the section on academic listening include the following:

Subcategory Content

Note-taking Tips and Practice

How to take effective notes while listening, Listening for and understanding new vocabulary, Listening to a complex description

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Noticing Listening to understand Attitude and more difficult language, Opinion Practicing listening skills

for lectures

Lecture Orientation

Listening for theme words

and examples, Prediction skills for listening, Using clues to understand

lectures, Listening closely to presentations, Listening for signposting language,

Focusing on the language in a lecture

Lecture Asking questions, Pre- participation lecture preparation, Post

lecture preparation, Formalizing notes, Understanding synopsis’

Listening is a language modality. It is one of the four skills of a language i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing. It involves an active involvement of an individual. Listening involves a sender , a message and a receiver. It is the psychological process of receiving, attending to constructing meaning from and

responding to spoken and/or non verbal messages.

Listening comprises of some key components, they are:

• discriminating between sounds

• recognizing words and understanding their meaning

• identifying grammatical groupings of words,

• identifying expressions and sets of utterances that act to create meaning,

• connecting linguistic cues to non-linguistic and paralinguistic cues, • using background knowledge to predict and to confirm meaning and

• recalling important words and ideas.

Process of listening

The process of listening occur in five stages. They are hearing, understanding, remembering, evaluating, and responding.

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HEARING – It is refered to the response caused by sound waves stimulating the sensory receptors of

the ear; it is physical response; hearing is perception of sound waves; you

must hear to listen, but you need not listen to hear (perception necessary for listening depends on attention).

Brain screens stimuli and permits only a select few to come into focus- these selective perception is known

as attention, an important requirement for effective listening.

UNDERSTANDING- This step helps to understand symbols we have seen and heard, we must analyze the meaning of the stimuli

we have perceived; symbolic stimuli are not only words but also sounds like applause… and sights like blue uniform…that have symbolic meanings as well; the meanings attached to these symbols are a function of our past associations and of the context in which the symbols occur. For successful interpersonal communication, the listener must understand the intended meaning and the context assumed by the sender.

REMEMBERING- Remembering is important listening process because it means that an individual has not only received and interpreted a message but has also added it to the mind”s storage bank. In Listening our attention is selective, so too is our memory- what is remembered may be quite different from what was originally seen or heard.

EVALUATING- Only active listeners participate at this stage in Listening.At this point the active listener weighs evidence, sorts fact from opinion, and determines the presence or absence of bias or prejudice in a message; the effective listener makes sure that he or she doesn’t begin this activity too soon ; beginning this stage of the process before a message is completed requires that we no longer hear and attend to the incoming message-as a result, the listening process ceases

RESPONDING- This stage requires that the receiver complete the process through verbal and/or nonverbal feedback; because the speaker has no other way to determine if a message has been received, this stage becomes the only overt means by which the sender may determine the degree of success in transmitting the message.

Strategies of Listening

Listening strategies are techniques or activities that contribute directly to the comprehension and recall of listening input. Listening strategies can be classified by how the listener processes the input.

Top-down strategies are listener based. The listener taps into background knowledge of the topic, the situation or context, the type of text, and the language. This background knowledge activates a set of expectations that help the listener to interpret what is heard and anticipate what will come next. Topdown strategies include

Step - 1

Receiving

( Hearing)

Step - 2 Understanding

( Learning)

Step - 3 Remembering

( Recalling)

Step - 4

Evaluating

( Judguing)

Step - 5

Responding

Answering) (

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• listening for the main idea

• predicting

• drawing inferences

• summarizing Bottom-up strategies are text based; the listener relies on the language in the message, that is, the combination of sounds, words, and grammar that creates meaning. Bottom-up strategies include

• listening for specific details

• recognizing cognates

• recognizing word-order patterns

Three Basic modes of Listening Active or Reflective Listening

It is the single most useful and important listening skill. In active listening , the listener is genuinely interested in understanding what the other person is thinking, feeling, wanting or what the message means.The person is active in checking his understanding before he respond with his new message. The listener restate or paraphrase our understanding of the message and reflect it back to the sender for verification. This verification or feedback process is what distinguishes active listening and makes it effective. Essentials of Active Listening

1. Intensity

2. Empathy

3. Acceptance

4. Recognizing responsibility for completeness Passive or Attentive Listening

The listener is genuinely interested in hearing and understanding the other person’s point of view. He will be attentive and will passively listen. The Listener assume that what he heard and understand is correct but stay passive and do not verify it.

Competitive or Combative Listening

It happens when the Listener is more interested in promoting his own point of view than in understanding or exploring someone else’s view. He either listen for openings to take the floor, or for flaws or weak points. Types of Listening

Based on objective and manner in which the Listener takes and rspond to the process of Listening, different types of Listening are:

1

Active listening

Appreciative listening

Listening in a way that demonstrates interest and encourages continued speaking.

Looking for ways to accept and appreciate the other person through what they say. Seeking opportunity to praise.

Alternatively listening to something for pleasure, such as to music.

2

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3 Attentive listening Listening obviously and carefully, showing attention.

4

Biased listening Listening through the filter of personal bias i.e the person hears only what they want to listen.

5

Casual listening Listening without obviously showing attention. Actual attention may vary a lot.

6 Comprehension listening

Listening to understand. Seeking meaning (but little more).

7

Critical listening Listening in order to evaluate, criticize or otherwise pass judgment on what someone else says.

8

Deep listening Seeking to understand the person, their personality and their real and unspoken meanings and motivators.

9

Discriminative listening Listening for something specific but nothing else (eg. a baby crying).

10

Empathetic listening Seeking to understand what the other person is feeling. Demonstrating this empathy.

11

Evaluative listening Listening in order to evaluate, criticize or otherwise pass judgment on what someone else says.

12

Inactive listening Pretending to listen but actually spending more time thinking.

13

Judgmental listening Listening in order to evaluate, criticize or otherwise pass judgment on what someone else says.

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14

Partial listening Listening most of the time but also spending some time daydreaming or thinking of a response.

15

Reflective listening Listening, then reflecting back to the other person what they have said.

16

Relationship listening Listening in order to support and develop a relationship with the other person.

17 Sympathetic listening Listening with concern for the well-being of the other person.

18

Therapeutic listening Seeking to understand what the other person is feeling. Demonstrating this empathy.

19

Total listening Paying very close attention in active listening to what is said and the deeper meaning found through how it is said.

Importance of Listening Skill Good listening skills make workers more productive. The ability to listen carefully will allow a person to:

• understand assignments in better way and find and what is expected from him.

• build rapport with co-workers, bosses, and clients;

• show support;

• work better in a team-based environment;

• resolve problems with customers, co-workers, and bosses;

• answer questions

• find underlying meanings in what others say.

Ways to improve Listening skill

Hearing and Listening are two diffrenet activity. Hearing is passive whereas Listenging is active. Listening is a psychological process. It can therefore be improved by regular practice. Listening is a very helpful skill. Active listening is really an extension of the Golden Rule. Here are some of the tips which can help the person to improve his Listening skill:

1. Face the speaker. Sit up straight or lean forward slightly to show your attentiveness through body language.

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2. Maintain eye contact, to the degree that you all remain comfortable.

3. Minimize external distractions. Turn off the TV. Put down your book or magazine, and ask the speaker and other listeners to do the same.

4. Respond appropriately to show that you understand. Murmur (“uh-huh” and “um-hmm”) and nod. Raise your eyebrows. Say words such as “Really,” “Interesting,” as well as more direct prompts: “What did you do then?” and “What did she say?”

5. Focus solely on what the speaker is saying. Try not to think about what you are going to say next. The conversation will follow a logical flow after the speaker makes her point.

6. Minimize internal distractions. If your own thoughts keep horning in, simply let them go and continuously re-focus your attention on the speaker, much as you would during meditation.

7. Keep an open mind. Wait until the speaker is finished before deciding that you disagree. Try not to make assumptions about what the speaker is thinking.

8. Avoid letting the speaker know how you handled a similar situation. Unless they specifically ask for advice, assume they just need to talk it out.

9. Even if the speaker is launching a complaint against you, wait until they finish to defend yourself. The speaker will feel as though their point had been made. They won’t feel the need to repeat it, and you’ll know the whole argument before you respond. Research shows that, on average, we can hear four times faster than we can talk, so we have the ability to sort ideas as they come in…and be ready for more.

10. Engage yourself. Ask questions for clarification, but, once again, wait until the speaker has finished. That way, you won’t interrupt their train of thought. After you ask questions, paraphrase their point to make sure you didn’t misunderstand. Start with: “So you’re saying…”

Barriers to Listening

Listening is not easy and there are a number of obstacles that stand in the way of effective listening, both within outside the workplace. These barriers may be categorized as follows.

1.Physiological Barriers: - some people may have genuine hearing problems or deficiencies that prevent them from listening properly. It can be treated. Some people may haveproblem in processing iinformation or retaining information in the memory.

2.Physical Barriers: - These referred to distraction in the environment such as the sound of an air conditioner , cigarette smoke, or an overheated room. It ca interefere the Listening process. They could also be in the form of information overload. For example, if you are in meeting with your manager and the phone rings and your mobile beeps at the same time to let u know that you have the message. It is very hard to listen carefully to what is being said.

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3.Attitudinal Barriers :- pre occupation with personal or work related problems can make it difficult to focus one’s attention completely on what speaker issaying, even what is being said is of very importance.

Another common attitudinal barrier is egocentrism, or the belief that the person have more knowledgeable than the speaker, or that there is nothing new to learn from the speaker’s ideas. People with this kind of close minded attitude are very poor listeners.

4.Wrong Assumptions :- The success of communication depend on the both the sender and receiver. It is wrong to assume that communication is the sole responsibility of the sender or the speaker and that listeners have no role to play. Such an assumption can be big barrier to listening. For example, a brilliant speech or presentation, however well delivered, is wasted if the receiver is not listening at the other end. Listeners have as much responsibility as speakers to make the communication successful. The process should be made successful by paying attention seeking clarifications and giving feedback.

5.Cultural Barriers :- Accents can be barriers to listening, since they interferewith the ability to understand the meaning of words that are pronounced differently. The problem of different accents arises not only between cultures, but also within a culture. For example, in a country like India where there is enormous cultural diversity, accents may differ even between regions states.

6.Gender Barriers :- communication research has shown that gender can be barrier to listening.

Studies have revealed that men and women listen very differently and for different purposes. Women

are more likely to listen for the emotion behind a speaker’s words, when men listen more for the facts

and the content.

7.Lack of Training :- Listening is not an inborn skill. People are not born good listeners. It is developed through practice and training. Lack of training in listing skills is an important barrier.

8 Bad Listening Habits :- Most people are very average listeners who have developed poor listening habits that are hard to said and that act as barriers to listening. For example, some people have the habits of “faking” attention, or trying to look like a listeners, in order to impress the speaker and to assure him that they are paying attention. Others may tend to listen to each and every fact and, as a result, mis out the main point. Benefits of Effective Listening Skills

Learning the skill of effective listening benefits personal growth and development in the following ways:

Effective Communication – Clear and concise transmission of information is an important component of effective human interaction. Though the onus is often placed on presenting clear and concise written or spoken directions, the listener also bears a responsibility to hear and understand messages.

Fewer Misunderstandings – Regardless of the clarity of written or spoken messages, the effective listener can prevent misunderstandings and salvage what otherwise might be a miscommunication by practicing active listening skills.

Improved Relationships – Relationships are damaged by misunderstandings that can lead to unsatisfactory business transactions as well as hurt feelings in personal relationships. Excellent listening practices tell others that they are important, special, and what they have to say is valued. That is very attractive and contributes to strong relationships.

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Personal Growth – A person learns and grows by listening and understanding other viewpoints, differing ideas, and exploring conflicting viewpoints. Learning the skill of active and effective listening not only adds a tool to the personal development portfolio, but equips you to continue growing with tools for exploring new ideas.

Common Listening Mistakes There are some common mistakes which are made by an individual while Listening. Some of them are:

1. Interrupting the speaker.

2 Completing the speakers sentences in advance.

3.Habit of topping another person's story with your own is demeaning and relegates the speaker's story to something less important.

4. Dominating Conversations – A person who dominates conversations probably commits all of the above mistakes and is not listening at all.

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