Muhammad Wasif Khan
Listening is the active process of receiving and
responding to spoken messages
It is the ability to accurately receive and interpret
messages in the communication process
Listening is the key to all effective communication
Listening is an
Hearing is
action where we
simply the act of
actively
perceiving
concentrate on
sound by the ear
what we hear
In listening our
Hearing occurs
brain processes
with or without
the information
our consent
into knowledge
“Listening is not the same as hearing and
hearing is not the same as listening.”
The first and the foremost communication skill that we learn
in our lives is nothing but ‘LISTENING’
LISTENING
SPEAKING
READING
WRITING
To follow and comprehend discourse such
as lectures, conversations, interviews, and
discussions
To develop adequate speaking skills to
communicate effectively
Communication is not complete without effective
listening
An attentive listener stimulates better speaking
A good listener learns more than an indifferent listener
A good listener can restructure vague speaking in a way
that produces clearer meaning
A good listener learns to detect prejudices, assumptions
and attitudes
1. Pre-listening: preparation stage.
Connect prior knowledge with the topic, use guesses to predict.
2. While-listening stage: actual listening & task response.
Listen for major and minor details you need for answers.
Preview the questions before listening, circle the information and listen
carefully- analyse the task. Take notes- Comments, outlines, charts, maps, use
abbreviations, symbols, intonations etc. re-listen- summarize, use synonyms.
3. Post-listening stage: feedback & remedial work.
Opinionated response, agree, disagree, use symbols-punctuations, summarize,
extend listening.
Not Concentrating
Listening Too Hard
Jumping to Conclusion
Focusing on Delivery & Personal Appearance
Bottom-up approach Top-down approach
We use our knowledge of We infer meaning from
language and our ability contextual clues and from
to process acoustic signals making links between the
to make sense of the spoken message and
sounds that speech various types of prior
presents to us. knowledge which we hold.
Listeners should retain and recognize:
1. Input while it is being processed.
2. Word divisions and key/content words in utterances.
3. Key transitions in a discourse.
4. Grammatical relations between key elements in sentences.
5. The function and purpose of word stress and intonation in
sentences.
While listening, listeners should:
1. Use key words to identify genre and purpose of the utterance.
2. Infer the role of the participants, topic, the outcome, the cause
and effect of an event.
3. Infer unstated details, sequence of events and comparisons.
4. Distinguish between facts and opinions.
Don’t be
Take Listening Be an Active Resist Diverted by
Seriously Listener Distractions Appearance or
Delivery
Suspend Focus Your Develop Note-
Judgment Listening Taking Skills
There are basically 8 Types of Listening that people
use commonly in Communication
Participatory/Active Listening: It involves physical alertness.
Assuming an upright posture. While listening focus should be
towards the speaker. Participating in communication interaction
as an equal partner with the speaker. Being emotionally and
intellectually ready to engage in the active sharing of the
meaning.
(e.g.: discussions, debates, group activities, etc.)
Passive Listening: Passive listening is listening without reacting. It
is a form of one-way communication wherein there is no
exchange involved between the interlocutors.
(e.g.: listening to music, radio, recorded lectures, etc.)
Surface Listening: Surface listening is deriving the literal
meaning. In surface listening, we just listen to the surface or
superficial things and when we listen we do not focus on the
whole message or meanings behind it.
(e.g.: listening to the breaking news, general announcements,
etc.)
Deep Listening: In deep listening, we listen to get the deeper
understanding of the meanings conveyed by the speaker
through the message. We focus on the speaker, verbal and non-
verbal messages and then we use that information in order to
understand the speaker’s real intention and the overall meaning.
(e.g.: listening to the teacher, listening to an argument, sermons,
etc.)
Judgmental Listening: Judgmental listeners constantly assess or
evaluate while they listen. They determine if what is being said is right
or wrong, fair or unfair. Once they make a judgment, they want their
position known. An overly judgmental person has difficulty accepting
things the way they are.
(e.g.: opposition leaders, media, society, etc.)
Non-Judgmental Listening: With non-judgmental listening, we listen to
understand instead of listening to fix. We put our own beliefs and
values to the side. This is easier said than done. We are often unaware
we are judging until it's too late. It means we will listen without
allowing ourselves to apply our judgements to what we hear.
(e.g.: students listening to the presentations of their classmates, unable
to give suggestions to the boss, etc.)
Empathetic Listening: Empathetic listening is to feel what others feel,
see the world as they see it, and to relate what they are going through.
Empathic listening will also help to enhance relationships. One basic
principle is to “seek to understand, before being understood”. It is
also known as Therapeutic Communication. (e.g.: help the person feel
relax, understanding special needs children, etc.)
Objective Listening: Objective listening is to go beyond empathy and
measure meaning and feelings against some objective reality. We
critically analyze the communication takes place regardless of having
any emotions attached.
(e.g.: giving remarks, opinions, evaluating the performance, etc.)
Listen to the talks on TED talk
▪ Julian Treasure on ‘5 ways to listen better’
https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_5_ways_to_listen_better?language=en#t
-442172
▪ Mathias Basner on ‘Why noise is bad for your health – and what you can do about it’
https://www.ted.com/talks/mathias_basner_why_noise_is_bad_for_your_health_and
_what_you_can_do_about_it
▪ After listening both, write a review on them.
▪ Also suggest which type(s) of listening is/are incorporated during the process.
